1.
For a year and a half, we have followed the coffins of our loved ones who were brutally murdered on October 7, and of our soldiers who fell heroically to save our nation, our state, and to rescue our hostages held in the barbaric tunnels of Gaza.
Now, Israel is being criticized for refusing to send its top leadership to the funeral of a man who accused our soldiers of genocide and machine-gunning children, leveling medieval-style blood libels of Jews baking children's blood into matzah. Pope Francis did not simply "express concern"—he spread horrific antisemitic accusations detached from reality, unless one accepts the propaganda of Hamas and its supporters.
Since the war began, he has missed hardly any opportunity to portray the Jewish state in monstrous colors, sometimes explicitly and more often through insinuations—but his audience understood perfectly: Israeli soldiers were depicted as King Herod's troops from the New Testament, sent to slaughter children after hearing of the birth of the King of the Jews.
2.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio led the Catholic Church in the spirit of his namesake, Francis of Assisi, who championed the church's alignment with the poor and downtrodden. This approach fit well with Bergoglio's youthful socialism and his worldview centered on the oppressed of the world. Therefore, in his mind, October 7 was likely seen as a justified uprising of impoverished victims, met by an extreme and disproportionate reaction from a Jewish state committing genocide against innocent Palestinians through its soldiers, under the leadership of its elected officials.
Facts, however, did not seem to concern the Vicar of Christ, who chose to believe only one side. Even on October 8, when the blood of our brothers and sisters was still fresh, he made no meaningful mention in his sermon of the real genocide that had been carried out the previous day against Jews, an atrocity broadcast live on social media by the murderers themselves.
We still remember Pope Pius XII's thunderous silence during the Holocaust. Francis did not stay silent - if only he had. Instead, he spoke out against the Jewish state, effectively denying Israel the right to destroy its enemies. His constant comments encouraged our enemies worldwide, especially the Shiite axis led by Iran, whose leaders have even recruited Jesus himself into their campaign against Israel.
3.
In a thought-provoking coincidence, the pope's funeral took place during the Days of Awe between the Holocaust Memorial day and the Memorial day for IDF fallen soldiers and Victims of Hostilities and our Independence Day , our national sacred season. In Catholic theology, Israel is a scandal: instead of accepting divine punishment and remaining nailed to the cross, the Jewish people dared to establish an independent state, in fulfillment of biblical prophecies. In this new reality, Jesus metaphorically descends from the cross, wraps himself in a Tallit, and returns to life as a Galilean Jew in the Jewish state —this time bearing arms and refusing to be crucified again. Worse still, he fights to destroy his enemies. That was too much for Bergoglio.
Judaism is not only a religion, but an ancient civilization. Christianity was born from it. Christianity received from us Jesus and his family, the Bible, and many core religious and ethical concepts, as well as elements of religious practice. The Jewish people are no longer a beggar at the gates of the Church but an eternal nation, demanding that the Church respect its right to fight for its survival—especially when the facts are on our side.
4.
Israel sent its ambassador to the Vatican to attend the funeral. That was sufficient. The decision by the Foreign Ministry, led by Gideon Sa'ar, was a refreshing breeze in the otherwise hypocritical diplomatic climate. Israel is not a weak colony on the fringes of the Middle East that must grovel for diplomatic recognition. It is a regional power that contributes as much to its partners as it receives from them. Relations must be based on mutual benefit, not on passive acceptance of the automatic disgrace of anti-Israel voting patterns at the United Nations.
Israel stood firm in asserting its right not to participate in the diplomatic charade, and to preserve the dignity of its brave soldiers who fell for our national rebirth. Our sages taught long ago (in the Talmud which the Church often burned throughout history): "Where there is a desecration of God's name, honor is not accorded even to a rabbi" (Sanhedrin 82a) — let alone to a pope. As Rashi taught back in the 11th century: "Wisdom, honor, understanding, and counsel do not stand against the desecration of God's name." This past Sabbath, Israel reclaimed a measure of its national honor.
