"Terrorism must not respond with terrorism," the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, said in a conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. This is an outrageous statement, tainted with sin. Comparing Israel's war of self-defense in the Gaza Strip to the barbarism of the Hamas terror organization, Francis repeats the sins of Pope Pius XII, who secretly supported the Nazi forces of evil.
The war waged by the IDF in Gaza fulfills all the conditions of a just war. The IDF works to minimize harm to civilians more than any other army in recorded history. The Pope's position actually leads to more suffering and death. If it is impossible to wage a war of self-defense even within the rule of law, and if there is no tolerance for civilian casualties, then the free world will eventually be destroyed by the forces of barbarism.
What would the Pope's primitive pacifist view say about the war waged by the Allies against Nazi Germany? Was it a just war? And what about all the civilians who died in that war? This reference to World War II is chillingly reminiscent of the current situation. It is common knowledge that the head of the Catholic Church at the time, Pope Pius XII, who before ascending the throne in 12 served as the Vatican's ambassador to Nazi Germany, was at best a passive observer of the Holocaust.
Paul Johnson, one of the most prominent historians of our generation and a devout Catholic himself, put it this way: "Both Catholic and Lutheran anti-Semitism contributed for centuries to Jew-hatred, culminating in Hitlerism. None of these churches functioned properly during the war. Pope Pius XII failed to condemn the Final Solution even though he knew about it."
One might think from a historical perspective that Pope Francis has a historic opportunity to atone for the sins of Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church during the Holocaust.
Maimonides, one of our greatest sages, teaches that repentance is defined as sincere repentance when the sinner is in the same situation as he was at the time of sin, yet refrains from doing so – evidence of sincere repentance and true repentance.
Now there are forces seeking to bring about a second Holocaust. Iran has publicly declared its desire to destroy Israel. It has proven to be today's Nazi Germany, striving to destroy Israel through its proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis; through its pursuit of nuclear weapons; and through its support for global terrorism against Jews around the world.
One of the ways Iran seeks to destroy Israel is through its mercenaries, Hamas. This is the time when the Church can give its moral support to Israel's just war to defeat Hamas.
If Israel cannot fight a just war, it could face annihilation, as the world saw on October 7.
What would the Pope's primitive pacifist view say about the war waged by the Allies against Nazi Germany? Was it a just war? And what about all the civilians who died in that war?
Pope Francis' position is inconsistent with his duty of loyalty as head of the Catholic Church, which is supposed to protect Christians all over the world from persecution for their faith.
The same forces led by Iran that seek the destruction of Israel – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis – are the ideological brothers and brothers in arms of the global jihadist movement, which on the African continent takes the form of al-Shabab, ISIS and Boko Haram, and wages a savage war of murder, kidnapping, rape and corruption against Christians.
Now, on New Year's Eve, could have been a good time to repent of Pope Pius' sins during the Holocaust and protect Christian communities all over the world. May God guide church leaders on the path of atonement for sins, past and present, so that our world can become a safer place for all.
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