During the 18-month-long war of Israel in Gaza, Pope Francis called daily the only Catholic parish in Gaza, offering prayers and words of comfort.
In his final address and public appearance on Easter, he called for a ceasefire in Gaza, repeating an unwavering appeal for peace in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The Vatican announced two days ago that Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, had died at the age of 89.
He suffered a “prolonged respiratory crisis similar to asthma” connected to thrombocytopenia, according to a previous statement by the Vatican.
Pope Francis is considered a symbol of compassion, social justice, and moral leadership whose voice resonated far beyond the Catholic Church, and the media called his papacy a “pontificate of peace, for peace.”
War in Gaza
Pope Francis was an outspoken critic of the Israeli war in Gaza and repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
In his last address, he criticized the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“I appeal to all parties in the conflict, cease fire, release the hostages, and help the starving people who long for a peaceful future,” he said.
Pope Francis also on several occasions condemned attacks on civilians, especially on schools and hospitals.
“Children are being bombed. This is cruelty, not war,” he previously said about Israeli crimes committed against Palestinians.
Global conflicts
Earlier this month, Pope Francis repeated a call for dialogue in war-torn Sudan and called on the international community to provide humanitarian aid.
Pope Francis also spoke about other war-torn countries around the world.
“May peace finally come to Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan,” he prayed.
In his Easter address, the media quoted his prayers directed to Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, “who are currently experiencing a delicate transition in their history,” and he called on the entire Church “to keep the Christians of the beloved Middle East in their thoughts and prayers.”
Turning then to Yemen, “which is experiencing one of the most severe and longest humanitarian crises in the world due to war,” Pope Francis called on all parties involved to find a solution “through constructive dialogue.”
Refugees and migrants
In February, Pope Francis criticized the United States (U.S.)President Donald Trump’s program for mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
“A properly formed conscience cannot help but make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly equates the illegal status of some migrants with criminality,” Pope Francis said in a letter, emphasizing that he is following the “great crisis” in the U.S. due to the deportations.
He was a strong advocate for refugees and migrants, previously saying that the Mediterranean had become a “cemetery” for migrants.
Claiming that migrants should not die in seas or deserts, Pope Francis asserted that introducing stricter anti-migrant laws or militarizing borders is not the way to avoid this tragic state of affairs.
Pope Francis died on Monday morning after suffering from a “prolonged respiratory crisis similar to asthma,” associated with thrombocytopenia.
Born on December 17th, 1936, in Buenos Aires, as the son of Italian immigrants, Pope Francis was educated in Argentina and later in Germany, and was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1969.
During more than ten years of his pontificate, he remained both a figure of admiration and a source of controversy.
He advocated for reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, the fight against corruption, and tackling key challenges facing the Church.
And while many praised him for his humility and commitment to social justice, his leadership also faced sharp resistance from conservative circles within and outside the Church.
