Latest news with #PalestinianChristian
Hamilton Spectator
03-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
An interfaith group's 1950s MLK comic book remains a prominent nonviolence teaching tool
(RNS) — At cross-cultural gatherings in Bethlehem, West Bank, groups of children and adults turn to a 67-year-old, colorful comic book with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s image on its cover, his tie and shirt collar visible beneath his clerical robe. As they read from 'Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story,' the group leader is prepared to discuss questions about achieving peace through nonviolent behavior. 'What are the teachings we have from Martin Luther King?' asks Zoughbi Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who is the international president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and founder of Wi'am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. 'How can we benefit from it, and how do we deal with issues like that in the Palestinian area under the Israeli occupation? How to send a message of love, agape with assertiveness, not aggressive?' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Zoughbi told RNS in a phone interview that the comic book, published in 1958, remains a staple in his work, which includes both English and Arabic versions. (It is available in six languages.) Over the decades, it was used in Arabic in the anti-government Arab Spring uprisings, in English in anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and in Spanish in Latin American ecclesial base communities, or small Catholic groups that meet for social justice activities and Bible study. It continues to be a teaching tool and an influential historical account in the United States as well. The book was distributed in January at New York's Riverside Church and has been listed as a curriculum resource for Muslim schools. And it remains a popular item, available online and in print for $2, at the bookstore at Atlanta's Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Store director Patricia Sampson called it 'one of our best sellers.' The 16-page book was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian-turned-interfaith anti-war organization. It was written by Alfred Hassler, then FOR-USA's executive secretary, in collaboration with the comic industry's Benton Resnik. A gift of $5,000 from the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Republic, a nonprofit advocating for free speech and religious liberty, helped support it. 'We are a pacifist organization, and we believe deeply in the transformative power of nonviolence,' said Ariel Gold, executive director of FOR-USA, based in Stony Point, New York. 'And where this comic really fits into that is that we know that nonviolence is more than a catchphrase, and it's really something that comes out of a deep philosophy of love and an intensive strategy for political change.' The comic book bears out that philosophy, in part by telling the story of King's time in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association as Black riders of the city's buses strove to no longer have to move to let white people sit down. Their nonviolent actions, catalyzed by Rosa Parks' refusing to give up her seat in 1955, eventually led to a Supreme Court decision that segregated public busing was unconstitutional. The comic book ends with a breakdown of 'how the Montgomery method works,' with tips for how to foster nonviolence that include 'decide what special thing you are going to work on' and 'see your enemy as a human being … a child of God.' Ahead of publishing, Hassler received 'adulation and a few corrections' from King, to whom he sent a draft, said Andrew Aydin, who wrote his master's thesis on the comic book and titled it 'The Comic Book that Changed the World.' The name of the comic book's artist, long unknown, was revealed in 2018 to be Sy Barry, known for his artwork in 'The Phantom' comic strip, by the blog . In an edition of FOR's Fellowship magazine, King wrote in a letter about his appreciation for the comic book: 'You have done a marvelous job of grasping the underlying truth and philosophy of the movement.' The book quickly gained traction. The Jan. 1, 1958, edition of Fellowship noted the organization had received advance orders for 75,000 copies from local FOR groups, the National Council of Churches and the NAACP. An ad on its back page noted single copies cost 10 cents, and 5,000 could be ordered for $250. By 2018, the magazine said some 250,000 copies had been distributed, 'especially throughout the Deep South.' The comic book has led to other series in the same genre that also seek to highlight civil rights efforts, using vivid images that synopsize historical accounts of the 1960s. 'March,' a popular graphic novel trilogy (2013-2016), was created by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, along with Aydin, his then-congressional staffer, and artist Nate Powell, about Lewis' work in the Civil Rights Movement. A follow-up volume, 'Run,' was published in 2021. 'It was part of learning the way of peace, the way of love, of nonviolence. Reading the Martin Luther King story, that little comic book, set me on the path that I'm on today,' said Lewis, quoted in the online curriculum guide on FOR's website. More recently, a new grant-funded webcomic series, 'Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,' was inspired by both the King comic book and 'March,' said creator Matthew Cressler. Described as a 'series about antiracism and struggles for justice across American Catholic history,' it chronicles the stories of Sister Angelica Schultz, a white Catholic nun who sought to improve housing access for African American residents in Chicago, and retired judge Arthur McFarland, who as a teenager worked to desegregate his Catholic high school in Charleston, South Carolina, and later encouraged the hiring of Black staff at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Cressler said the King comic book's continued distribution and use in diverse educational settings 'make it one of the most significant comics in the history of comics — which is something that might seem wild to say, given how when most people think about comic books, they think of superheroes like Superman or Batman.' Though different in topic and artistic style, Cressler said, the MLK comic book can be compared to 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman and 'On Tyranny' by Timothy Snyder — more recent graphic novels about a Jewish Holocaust survivor and threats to democracy, respectively — 'as a medium through which to teach, to educate and specifically to politically mobilize.' Anthony Nicotera, director of advancement for FOR-USA and an assistant professor at Seton Hall University, a Catholic school in South Orange, New Jersey, uses the King comic book in his peace and justice studies classes. 'People are using it in small ways or local ways or maybe even in larger ways,' he said, 'and we don't find out until after it's happened.' Gold, a progressive Jew who is the first non-Christian to lead FOR-USA, said future versions are planned beyond the six current languages to further share the message of King, the boycott and nonviolence. She said this year, her organization is aiming to translate it into French and Hebrew, for use in joint Israeli-Palestinian studies and trainings on nonviolence, as well as for Jewish religious schools. 'Especially in this political moment, I think we really need sources of hope, and we need reminders of the work and the strategy and the sacrifice that is required to successfully meet such an intense moment as this,' she said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
San Francisco Chronicle
02-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
An interfaith group's 1950s MLK comic book remains a prominent nonviolence teaching tool
(RNS) — At cross-cultural gatherings in Bethlehem, West Bank, groups of children and adults turn to a 67-year-old, colorful comic book with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s image on its cover, his tie and shirt collar visible beneath his clerical robe. As they read from 'Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story,' the group leader is prepared to discuss questions about achieving peace through nonviolent behavior. 'What are the teachings we have from Martin Luther King?' asks Zoughbi Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who is the international president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and founder of Wi'am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. 'How can we benefit from it, and how do we deal with issues like that in the Palestinian area under the Israeli occupation? How to send a message of love, agape with assertiveness, not aggressive?' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Zoughbi told RNS in a phone interview that the comic book, published in 1958, remains a staple in his work, which includes both English and Arabic versions. (It is available in six languages.) Over the decades, it was used in Arabic in the anti-government Arab Spring uprisings, in English in anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and in Spanish in Latin American ecclesial base communities, or small Catholic groups that meet for social justice activities and Bible study. It continues to be a teaching tool and an influential historical account in the United States as well. The book was distributed in January at New York's Riverside Church and has been listed as a curriculum resource for Muslim schools. And it remains a popular item, available online and in print for $2, at the bookstore at Atlanta's Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Store director Patricia Sampson called it 'one of our best sellers.' The 16-page book was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian-turned-interfaith anti-war organization. It was written by Alfred Hassler, then FOR-USA's executive secretary, in collaboration with the comic industry's Benton Resnik. A gift of $5,000 from the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Republic, a nonprofit advocating for free speech and religious liberty, helped support it. 'We are a pacifist organization, and we believe deeply in the transformative power of nonviolence,' said Ariel Gold, executive director of FOR-USA, based in Stony Point, New York. 'And where this comic really fits into that is that we know that nonviolence is more than a catchphrase, and it's really something that comes out of a deep philosophy of love and an intensive strategy for political change.' The comic book bears out that philosophy, in part by telling the story of King's time in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association as Black riders of the city's buses strove to no longer have to move to let white people sit down. Their nonviolent actions, catalyzed by Rosa Parks' refusing to give up her seat in 1955, eventually led to a Supreme Court decision that segregated public busing was unconstitutional. The comic book ends with a breakdown of 'how the Montgomery method works,' with tips for how to foster nonviolence that include 'decide what special thing you are going to work on' and 'see your enemy as a human being … a child of God.' Ahead of publishing, Hassler received 'adulation and a few corrections' from King, to whom he sent a draft, said Andrew Aydin, who wrote his master's thesis on the comic book and titled it 'The Comic Book that Changed the World.' The name of the comic book's artist, long unknown, was revealed in 2018 to be Sy Barry, known for his artwork in 'The Phantom' comic strip, by the blog In an edition of FOR's Fellowship magazine, King wrote in a letter about his appreciation for the comic book: 'You have done a marvelous job of grasping the underlying truth and philosophy of the movement.' The book quickly gained traction. The Jan. 1, 1958, edition of Fellowship noted the organization had received advance orders for 75,000 copies from local FOR groups, the National Council of Churches and the NAACP. An ad on its back page noted single copies cost 10 cents, and 5,000 could be ordered for $250. By 2018, the magazine said some 250,000 copies had been distributed, 'especially throughout the Deep South.' The comic book has led to other series in the same genre that also seek to highlight civil rights efforts, using vivid images that synopsize historical accounts of the 1960s. 'March,' a popular graphic novel trilogy (2013-2016), was created by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, along with Aydin, his then-congressional staffer, and artist Nate Powell, about Lewis' work in the Civil Rights Movement. A follow-up volume, 'Run,' was published in 2021. 'It was part of learning the way of peace, the way of love, of nonviolence. Reading the Martin Luther King story, that little comic book, set me on the path that I'm on today,' said Lewis, quoted in the online curriculum guide on FOR's website. More recently, a new grant-funded webcomic series, 'Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,' was inspired by both the King comic book and 'March,' said creator Matthew Cressler. Described as a 'series about antiracism and struggles for justice across American Catholic history,' it chronicles the stories of Sister Angelica Schultz, a white Catholic nun who sought to improve housing access for African American residents in Chicago, and retired judge Arthur McFarland, who as a teenager worked to desegregate his Catholic high school in Charleston, South Carolina, and later encouraged the hiring of Black staff at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Cressler said the King comic book's continued distribution and use in diverse educational settings 'make it one of the most significant comics in the history of comics — which is something that might seem wild to say, given how when most people think about comic books, they think of superheroes like Superman or Batman.' Though different in topic and artistic style, Cressler said, the MLK comic book can be compared to 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman and 'On Tyranny' by Timothy Snyder — more recent graphic novels about a Jewish Holocaust survivor and threats to democracy, respectively — 'as a medium through which to teach, to educate and specifically to politically mobilize.' Anthony Nicotera, director of advancement for FOR-USA and an assistant professor at Seton Hall University, a Catholic school in South Orange, New Jersey, uses the King comic book in his peace and justice studies classes. 'People are using it in small ways or local ways or maybe even in larger ways,' he said, 'and we don't find out until after it's happened.' Gold, a progressive Jew who is the first non-Christian to lead FOR-USA, said future versions are planned beyond the six current languages to further share the message of King, the boycott and nonviolence. She said this year, her organization is aiming to translate it into French and Hebrew, for use in joint Israeli-Palestinian studies and trainings on nonviolence, as well as for Jewish religious schools. 'Especially in this political moment, I think we really need sources of hope, and we need reminders of the work and the strategy and the sacrifice that is required to successfully meet such an intense moment as this,' she said.
Winnipeg Free Press
02-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
An interfaith group's 1950s MLK comic book remains a prominent nonviolence teaching tool
(RNS) — At cross-cultural gatherings in Bethlehem, West Bank, groups of children and adults turn to a 67-year-old, colorful comic book with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s image on its cover, his tie and shirt collar visible beneath his clerical robe. As they read from 'Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story,' the group leader is prepared to discuss questions about achieving peace through nonviolent behavior. 'What are the teachings we have from Martin Luther King?' asks Zoughbi Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who is the international president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and founder of Wi'am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center. 'How can we benefit from it, and how do we deal with issues like that in the Palestinian area under the Israeli occupation? How to send a message of love, agape with assertiveness, not aggressive?' ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Zoughbi told RNS in a phone interview that the comic book, published in 1958, remains a staple in his work, which includes both English and Arabic versions. (It is available in six languages.) Over the decades, it was used in Arabic in the anti-government Arab Spring uprisings, in English in anti-apartheid activism in South Africa and in Spanish in Latin American ecclesial base communities, or small Catholic groups that meet for social justice activities and Bible study. It continues to be a teaching tool and an influential historical account in the United States as well. The book was distributed in January at New York's Riverside Church and has been listed as a curriculum resource for Muslim schools. And it remains a popular item, available online and in print for $2, at the bookstore at Atlanta's Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Store director Patricia Sampson called it 'one of our best sellers.' The 16-page book was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian-turned-interfaith anti-war organization. It was written by Alfred Hassler, then FOR-USA's executive secretary, in collaboration with the comic industry's Benton Resnik. A gift of $5,000 from the Ford Foundation's Fund for the Republic, a nonprofit advocating for free speech and religious liberty, helped support it. 'We are a pacifist organization, and we believe deeply in the transformative power of nonviolence,' said Ariel Gold, executive director of FOR-USA, based in Stony Point, New York. 'And where this comic really fits into that is that we know that nonviolence is more than a catchphrase, and it's really something that comes out of a deep philosophy of love and an intensive strategy for political change.' The comic book bears out that philosophy, in part by telling the story of King's time in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was chosen to lead the Montgomery Improvement Association as Black riders of the city's buses strove to no longer have to move to let white people sit down. Their nonviolent actions, catalyzed by Rosa Parks' refusing to give up her seat in 1955, eventually led to a Supreme Court decision that segregated public busing was unconstitutional. The comic book ends with a breakdown of 'how the Montgomery method works,' with tips for how to foster nonviolence that include 'decide what special thing you are going to work on' and 'see your enemy as a human being … a child of God.' Ahead of publishing, Hassler received 'adulation and a few corrections' from King, to whom he sent a draft, said Andrew Aydin, who wrote his master's thesis on the comic book and titled it 'The Comic Book that Changed the World.' The name of the comic book's artist, long unknown, was revealed in 2018 to be Sy Barry, known for his artwork in 'The Phantom' comic strip, by the blog In an edition of FOR's Fellowship magazine, King wrote in a letter about his appreciation for the comic book: 'You have done a marvelous job of grasping the underlying truth and philosophy of the movement.' The book quickly gained traction. The Jan. 1, 1958, edition of Fellowship noted the organization had received advance orders for 75,000 copies from local FOR groups, the National Council of Churches and the NAACP. An ad on its back page noted single copies cost 10 cents, and 5,000 could be ordered for $250. By 2018, the magazine said some 250,000 copies had been distributed, 'especially throughout the Deep South.' The comic book has led to other series in the same genre that also seek to highlight civil rights efforts, using vivid images that synopsize historical accounts of the 1960s. 'March,' a popular graphic novel trilogy (2013-2016), was created by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, along with Aydin, his then-congressional staffer, and artist Nate Powell, about Lewis' work in the Civil Rights Movement. A follow-up volume, 'Run,' was published in 2021. 'It was part of learning the way of peace, the way of love, of nonviolence. Reading the Martin Luther King story, that little comic book, set me on the path that I'm on today,' said Lewis, quoted in the online curriculum guide on FOR's website. More recently, a new grant-funded webcomic series, 'Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,' was inspired by both the King comic book and 'March,' said creator Matthew Cressler. Described as a 'series about antiracism and struggles for justice across American Catholic history,' it chronicles the stories of Sister Angelica Schultz, a white Catholic nun who sought to improve housing access for African American residents in Chicago, and retired judge Arthur McFarland, who as a teenager worked to desegregate his Catholic high school in Charleston, South Carolina, and later encouraged the hiring of Black staff at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Cressler said the King comic book's continued distribution and use in diverse educational settings 'make it one of the most significant comics in the history of comics — which is something that might seem wild to say, given how when most people think about comic books, they think of superheroes like Superman or Batman.' Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Though different in topic and artistic style, Cressler said, the MLK comic book can be compared to 'Maus' by Art Spiegelman and 'On Tyranny' by Timothy Snyder — more recent graphic novels about a Jewish Holocaust survivor and threats to democracy, respectively — 'as a medium through which to teach, to educate and specifically to politically mobilize.' Anthony Nicotera, director of advancement for FOR-USA and an assistant professor at Seton Hall University, a Catholic school in South Orange, New Jersey, uses the King comic book in his peace and justice studies classes. 'People are using it in small ways or local ways or maybe even in larger ways,' he said, 'and we don't find out until after it's happened.' Gold, a progressive Jew who is the first non-Christian to lead FOR-USA, said future versions are planned beyond the six current languages to further share the message of King, the boycott and nonviolence. She said this year, her organization is aiming to translate it into French and Hebrew, for use in joint Israeli-Palestinian studies and trainings on nonviolence, as well as for Jewish religious schools. 'Especially in this political moment, I think we really need sources of hope, and we need reminders of the work and the strategy and the sacrifice that is required to successfully meet such an intense moment as this,' she said.
Boston Globe
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
What Pope Francis knew
I have several stories from the past couple of years when I have been blessed enough to meet with Pope Francis, but one in particular stands out, when, late last summer, he invited a small delegation to the Vatican to discuss issues of storytelling and peace in the Middle East. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Refugees and migrants rescued by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms in the Mediterranean Sea in 2020. Sergi Camara/Associated Press Advertisement Our delegation of five met near the papal apartments in the Cortile del Belvedere in the Vatican. We walked over cobblestones damp from an early rain. We were greeted in the entryway and guided toward the elevators. It was a pristine building, well kept, high-ceilinged. As we turned a corner, we were surprised to see a large artwork on the wall. Six-and-a-half feet high, it was in the shape of a crucifix. It took a moment to realize that the giant cross was made of transparent resin and that the 'body' of the cross was not a body at all but an orange life jacket. Advertisement The artwork hung in the entryway to the pope's personal quarters, a startling symbol of the world's refugees. A life jacket, most likely belonging to an African refugee rescued, or maybe drowned, at sea, in the place of, or in tandem with, Christ on the cross. The artwork the author saw in the Vatican last summer. Colum McCann We knew then that we were there to meet a person who held the stories of others. Among our delegation were a Palestinian Christian, a Palestinian Muslim, and an Israeli Jew. We remained in the waiting room a considerable time while other parties came and went from behind the door. Time held itself. Toward late morning, we were the last delegation. Pope Francis stood from his chair to shake hands. He was 'deeply moved' to meet our Palestinian and Israeli delegates, he said. They were an important part of the peace movement, not just in the Middle East but around the globe. Then he sat to listen. What was most extraordinary about him was how the words seemed to enter him. Viscerally. Tranquilly. His was a gentle presence, but candescent too. He seemed to be accepting the words as gifts. A pang of pain went across the hood of his eyes as his visitors talked of occupation, genocide, apartheid. The dark abysses of the human condition that he himself had often spoken about. He wanted to hear these words in order to know what he could properly say to the rest of the world. It struck me that I had never seen words being accepted in the same way. The brutal realities. The common thread of pain. The anguish of the unsaid. The ignorance. The disinformation. He wanted to hear all this in order to know what he might say, at another time, to other people around the world. When he finally did speak, he did so quietly, with care, compassion, and startling humility. For common phrases — 'Thank you for coming,' 'I am very moved by your stories' — he used English, but for that which he truly wanted to say, he spoke to a Spanish interpreter. Advertisement 'You remind us that we still have light, even in the darkest moments.' 'The peacemakers must embrace one another first.' 'You have the ability to bring change into history.' There was humor too. When it was suggested that he might make a good candidate for the presidency of the United States, he quietly smiled and said, 'I am not quite sure that it would be a benediction.' To be in such a presence was a great gift, not just for the quality of the moment itself but for what it suggested for what might come after — the struggle for any sort of peaceful engagement in a shattered world. I was reminded of a line from Arabic poetry: 'Is there any hope that this desolation might bring us solace?' As we left, we passed the artwork again. It had become more crucifix than sculpture. The life jacket was, of course, representative of whoever had once worn it, but it also represented the lives that the Palestinian and Israeli delegation's families had lost, or the current realm of terror and global indifference. Pope Francis kissed the foot of a man at the Castelnuovo di Porto refugee center outside Rome in 2016. The pontiff washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu, and Catholic refugees, declaring them children of the same God. l'Osservatore Romano In the corner of the vaulted ceiling above where the crucifix hung, there was a small crack in the plasterwork. The paint was swollen and bubbling. This, in itself, was incredible in such a building: One did not expect there to be a blemish. Not only that, but the crack in the wall had allowed water to seep in. Advertisement It appeared to us, as we left the building, that the outside was seeking the inside and that the rainwater was looking for the life jacket. It was like the line from the Leonard Cohen song 'Anthem': There's a crack, a crack in everything / that's how the light gets in . It turned out that the crucifix was controversial to some who were critical of Pope Francis. Some right-wing critics said that he was 'deifying the poor and the marginalized.' But that was not something Pope Francis would have responded to. He had blessed the crucifix in 2019. He had embraced the wider meaning. He knew.
Euronews
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Christian Palestinians mourn Pope Francis, an outspoken voice for peace in Gaza
ADVERTISEMENT Palestinian Christian communities in Gaza and the West Bank have mourned the death of Pope Francis, who consistently supported their plight throughout his papacy, but especially in the last 18 months of his life. He was "not just our pope, he was our brother, our friend, our dear friend for Bethlehem," proclaimed Tony Tabash, a Catholic souvenir store owner in the biblical birthplace of Jesus. On Monday evening, Catholics in Gaza held a mass for Pope Francis at the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in the enclave. "I was very sad, and my feelings were sad, because the Pope was our biggest support after God in this war," said 19-year-old Suheil Abu Dawoud, adding that "he was always like a balm for our wounds and he was always telling us to be strong." Pope Francis "is very close to the Christian community of Gaza, not only the Christians of Gaza but all the people of Gaza, and all the Holy Land," said Father Gabriele Romanielli of the Holy Family Church. Christian Palestinians attend a special prayer for the late Pope Francis after the news of his death in the Old City of Gaza, 21 April, 2025 AP Photo The pope's nightly ritual Pope Francis was a fervent advocate of peace in Gaza, praying for an end to the war until his final hours. Since the outbreak of the war, the pope had a frequent nightly ritual: he would call the Holy Family Church to see how the nearly 600 people huddled inside were coping amid the devastating war. The small act of compassion made a big impression on Gaza's tiny Christian community and was why he was remembered as a beloved father figure in the war-torn territory. Romanielli said his last call came on Saturday. "He asked us to pray and gave us a blessing and thanked us for all the service for peace." Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation wall that divides the West Bank city of Bethlehem from Jerusalem,on Sunday, May 25, 2014. AP Photo/Ariel Schalit In his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, the pontiff renewed his plea for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, expressing his "closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people." He added: "I think of the people of Gaza and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation." The pope was also an advocate of interfaith relations and urged Hamas to release the dozens of Israeli hostages it is holding and condemned growing global antisemitism. "I appeal to the warring parties: Call on a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of starving people that aspires to a future of peace!" Pope Francis said in his final address. In 2014, during the pope's first official visit to the Holy Land, he made an unscheduled stop to pray at the wall that separates Israel from the West Bank in Bethlehem. The unprecedented gesture, as his aides conceded later, was a "profound spiritual moment" against a symbol of division and conflict. ADVERTISEMENT It was made after Pope Francis made an appeal to both sides to end a conflict that he said was "increasingly unacceptable." A woman prays in front of a photo of the late Pope Francis after the news of his death at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 21 April, 2025 AP Photo In the past year and a half of war, the pope became increasingly outspoken in his criticism of the Israeli military. A month into the war, he urged an investigation into whether Israel's war amounted to genocide — a charge Israel vehemently denies. In December, Francis expressed his pain thinking of Gaza, "of such cruelty, to the machine-gunning of children, to the bombing of schools and hospitals." The next month, he called the ongoing humanitarian crisis "very serious and shameful." ADVERTISEMENT The Holy Land's Christian community has dwindled over the decades, with only 1,000 Christians living in Gaza, an overwhelmingly Muslim territory, according to the US State Department's international religious freedom report for 2024. The report says the majority of Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox but they also include other Christians, including Roman Catholics.
