Pope Francis makes a thought-provoking statement in his up-coming book about the need to check if Gaza events match genocide definition: this comes as part of his growing comments about the middle-east situation
The head of the Catholic Church (who leads 1.4-billion followers) points to international experts views saying: “we must look carefully at whether this fits the technical-legal definition made by world-wide organizations and law-makers
In a related development South Africa brought a case to the ICJ last winter - the court made some initial decisions but hasnt yet made its final ruling on the main question. The Israeli side strongly disagrees with these claims and didnt give any quick response to the Popeʼs new words
Pope Francis has changed his usual balanced way of talking about world conflicts. Here are his recent actions:
- Met with ex-hostages families at Vatican
- Spoke about kids deaths in Gaza
- Called some military acts “beyond moral limits“
There was also a mix-up last yr when Palestinian visitors said he used specific words in private - but the Vatican said he didnt. The Vaticanʼs news site did share the new book parts but didnt add any extra info