Il Tempo reported that the man "was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the basilica" and was removed from the church.

The post Man urinates on Altar of Confession in Vatican appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

With the ascension of the new Pope to the Holy See under the name "Leo XIV," one of the most charged and ancient names in the Catholic Church returns to historical prominence. This marks the 14th Pope named "Leo" – a name that immediately evokes memories of persecutions, reconciliations, and confrontations, especially toward the Jewish people.

The first among them, Leo I (440–461), was among the earliest dominant popes who outlined the concept of Holy See supremacy. His doctrine positioned the Church as the successor to the nation of Israel – a concept that had direct implications for how future generations would treat Jewish communities throughout Europe.

Others followed different paths. Leo IX was among the architects of clerical reform (establishing the religious authority supremacy of the pope), and during his time, the ideological foundation for the Crusades began to form, which brought terrible disasters upon Jewish communities across Europe.

Leo X, son of Lorenzo de Medici (one of the most influential politicians during the Renaissance), was a renowned patron of Renaissance art, but his notable silence in the face of anti-Jewish decrees enabled numerous acts of harassment against Jewish populations.

Leo XII (1823–1829) stands out as one of the most antisemitic popes in modern times, distinguished by reversing progressive developments and turning back the wheel of history in the worst sense. He reinstated the Jewish Ghetto in Rome, banned Jews from certain occupations, and even forced them to attend weekly missionary sermons.

The last to hold the title more than a century ago was Leo XIII (1878–1903) – perhaps the first pope in the 19th century who demonstrated genuine tolerance toward Jews. He is regarded among the architects of "social capitalism," advocated for the protection of minority rights, and for the first time facilitated meaningful dialogue between Catholic clergy and Jewish scholars.

As a tribute to him, the current Pope selected the name Leo XIV. This represents a statement that continues the transformation the Church has undergone over the past century in its attitude toward the Jewish people. Yet when examining the more distant past, one discovers the aforementioned dark history.

Choosing a name carries symbolic weight, and in the Pope's case, it brings profound responsibility. It's the responsibility of someone continuing the path of a predecessor who first displayed a tolerant attitude toward Jews, but also one that echoes the troubling legacy of notorious antisemites. Precisely because of awareness of the dark past this name carries, the responsibility facing the new Pope, leader of 14% of the planet's inhabitants, is to ensure that such persecution never happens again.

The post Antisemetic history of popes named Leo appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Pope Francis has expressed hope that the upcoming Paris Olympics will serve as a catalyst for truces in global conflicts, emphasizing the role of athletes as messengers of peace and role models for youth. The pontiff made these remarks during his weekly address to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.

"According to the ancient tradition, the Olympics will be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars, by demonstrating a sincere desire for peace," Pope Francis stated, referencing the historical practice of Olympic truces. He specifically mentioned ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, and other regions, adding, "Let us not forget war is a defeat."

The Paris Olympics, set to begin on July 26 with a grand opening ceremony along the River Seine, will bring together approximately 10,500 athletes and over 100 heads of state and government. This global gathering presents a unique opportunity for promoting international cooperation and understanding.

However, the spirit of unity called for by the Pope stands in stark contrast to recent disturbing developments. Two Israeli athletes received death threats as the Paris games approach. These athletes were sent invitations via email to their own funerals from an unknown source, highlighting the ongoing tensions and security concerns surrounding the event.

The Pope's call for an Olympic truce aligns with recent diplomatic efforts. Last month, the Group of Seven (G7) leaders unanimously included a call for a global conflict truce during the Olympic Games in their final statement following a meeting in Italy.

The post The Pope hopes 'the Olympics will be an opportunity to establish a truce in wars' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Pope Francis asked for prayers for former pope Benedict on Wednesday, saying he is "very sick".

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Francis made the surprise appeal at the end of his general audience, giving no details. Benedict, 95, in 2013 became the first pope in some 600 years to resign. He has been living in the Vatican since then.

"I would like to ask all of you for a special prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who, in silence, is sustaining the Church. Let us remember him. He is very sick, asking the Lord to console and sustain him in this witness of love for the Church, until the end," Francis said, speaking in Italian.

There was no immediate comment from the Vatican on the state of Benedict's health, and phone calls to his residence in the Vatican were not answered.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Ex-pope Benedict 'very sick', Francis asks for prayers appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Pope Francis's planned trip to Lebanon next month has been postponed because the 85-year-old pontiff has experienced difficulty walking recently, sources said on Monday.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

In recent weeks, the pope has suffered a flare-up of pain in the right knee in addition to a long-time case of sciatica, which also causes pain in the legs.

The June 12-13 trip had been announced by the Lebanese government. The Vatican never officially announced the trip but the pope has referred to plans relating to it in recent interviews.

The two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss such matters, said the pope's health was the main concern.

A plan for the pope to go from Lebanon to Jerusalem on June 14 to meet Kirill, the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, had already been canceled because of the war in Ukraine. Read full story

The Lebanon trip will likely take place after the summer, one source said.

Francis is due to make two trips in July, one to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and the other to Canada.

Last Thursday, he used a wheelchair in public for the first time and has used one since during private and public audiences. He told an Italian newspaper last week that he was receiving injections to help the movement of his joints.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Sources: Pope's trip to Lebanon postponed for health reasons appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Pope Francis prayed Saturday for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, using his Christmas Day address to urge health care for all, vaccines for the poor and for dialogue to prevail in resolving the world's conflicts.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Amid a record-setting rise in COVID-19 cases in Italy this week, only a few thousand people flocked to a rain-soaked St. Peter's Square for Francis' annual "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the city and the world") Christmas address. Normally, the square would be packed with tens of thousands of holiday well-wishers.

At least they could gather this year. Italy's 2020 holiday lockdown forced Francis to deliver a televised address from inside the Apostolic Palace to prevent crowds from forming in the square. Although Italy this week counted more than 50,000 cases in a single day for the first time, the government has not ordered another lockdown.

The pope's Christmas Day speech gives him an opportunity to draw a global audience's attention to conflicts big and small. This year was no different. Francis lamented ongoing conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, newly flaring tensions in Ukraine and Ethiopia, and an "unprecedented crisis" in Lebanon.

"We have become so used to them (conflicts) that immense tragedies are now being passed over in silence; we risk not hearing the cry of pain and distress of so many of our brothers and sisters," he said from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica as Swiss Guards stood at attention in the square below.

Francis warned of the pandemic tendency to withdraw and isolate, urging instead dialogue to try to resolve the world conflicts. He prayed in particular for those most affected by the virus, including women and children who have suffered increased abuse during lockdowns.

"Son of God, comfort the victims of violence against women, which has increased in this time of pandemic. Offer hope to young children and adolescents suffering from bullying and abuse," he said.

He prayed for "consolation and warmth" for older adults who are alone, as well as for health care workers who "generously devote themselves" to caring for the sick.

"Grant health to the infirm and inspire all men and women of good will to seek the best ways possible to overcome the current health crisis and its effects," he said. "Open hearts to ensure that necessary medical care – and vaccines in particular – are provided to those peoples who need them most."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

Francis delivered his speech hours after celebrating a "Midnight Mass" service for some 2,000 people, a fraction of the basilica's capacity. The service actually began at 7:30 p.m., a nod to the 85-year-old pope's endurance and a hold-over from last year, when the service had to end before Italy's nationwide COVID-19 curfew.

For the second day in a row, Italy on Friday set a daily pandemic record with 50,599 new cases. Another 141 people died, bringing Italy's official death toll in the pandemic to 136,386.

With the arrival of the Omicron variant in Italy, the Vatican secretary of state this week imposed a new vaccine mandate on Vatican staff, extending it to all employees except those who have recovered from COVID-19.

Previously, only employees who dealt with the public directly had to be vaccinated, such as the staff of the Vatican Museums and the Swiss Guards. Other Vatican employees could access their offices with regular testing. Now, there is no test-out exemption.

The post On Christmas Day, pope prays for end to COVID pandemic appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In Mosul, adjacent to the Biblical city of Nineveh, four churches representing different denominations occupy a small square surrounded by low-rise houses, testament to the role Iraq's once-flourishing Christian community played.

Today, all four churches are either damaged or destroyed after Islamic State militants occupied the city from 2014-2017, desecrated many of the buildings and used them to run its administration, including as a jail and a court.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Air strikes as Iraqi forces tried to dislodge the extremist group in fierce fighting did the rest. Those walls still standing are scarred with bullet and shrapnel holes.

"It used to be a bit like the Jerusalem of the Nineveh plains," said Mosul and Akra's Chaldean Archbishop Najeeb Michaeel of "Church Square", the name given to the site that Pope Francis will visit on March 7 during his historic trip to Iraq.

Michaeel fondly recalled how, before the U.S. invasion in 2003, Iraqi Christians from different denominations would attend each other's services on religious festivals.

Those days are gone. Today just one of Mosul's surviving churches offers a weekly Sunday service to a Christian population that has dwindled to just a few dozen families from about 50,000 people.

Tolerated by former President Saddam Hussein but persecuted by al Qaeda and then Islamic State, Iraq's Christians number around 300,000, one fifth of the total before 2003.

Some are trickling back after Islamic State's defeat, but others still see little prospect in staying in Iraq and are looking to settle overseas.

MINES AND MEMORIES

A Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic church are situated cheek-by-jowl in and around the dusty square. Now the area lies in ruins, as do other parts of the city.

The pope is due to hold prayers for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa, known as Church Square in English, as part of a four-day trip starting on March 5, a visit Archbishop Michaeel described as highly symbolic and a message of hope.

"Where stones fell because of violence, there will always be life," he said.

Workmen have been busy cleaning up the site before Pope Francis arrives.

Funded by the United Arab Emirates, the restoration of the Syriac Catholic church of Al-Tahera is being carried out by UNESCO in collaboration with local partners and began in 2020.

Video: Reuters

Holding pictures of the church before its destruction, assistant site coordinator for UNESCO in Iraq, Anas Zeyad, pointed to delicate Syriac carvings on pieces of greyish alabaster stone referred to locally as "Mosul marble".

Damaged by Islamic State before its roof was shredded by airstrikes, the church was used as a tribunal by the jihadist movement's religious police, Zeyad said.

The adjacent Armenian Orthodox church, distinguishable by its dome, remains closed off to the public.

"It has not been de-mined yet," Zeyad explained, pointing to the sealed door leading to the church that Islamic State commandeered as a prison.

"Nearly all churches in Mosul were used by Islamic State," Archbishop Michaeel said.

Standing next to a damaged piece of sculpted alabaster representing the Virgin Mary, Ali Salem, from Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, said his team was reviewing many such artifacts to determine which could be repaired and used again.

"As a Muslim I am proud to help rebuild these churches," Zeyad said, adding that he hoped "we see Christians come back to these places so that we live together again as we have for centuries."

 Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Pope to visit 'Jerusalem of the Nineveh plains' in rare visit appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The newspaper, Passauer Neue Presse, cited Benedict's biographer, German author Peter Seewald, who met the 93-year-old pope emeritus at the Vatican on Saturday.

A Holy See spokesperson had no comment on the report and the former pope's personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, did not immediately return a call asking for comment.

   Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The post Report: Former Pope Benedict XVI seriously ill appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In a private meeting with Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace, Rivlin said, "Hamas has repeatedly led to a severe escalation time and again, while callously exploiting the plight of the residents of the Gaza Strip."

He said, "Israel does not want an escalation or to hurt innocent civilians, but will not stand by while Hamas undermines stability and our civilians are harmed."

Rivlin was referring to the firing of over 460 rockets and mortar ‎‎shells on Israel's south starting ‎from Monday afternoon and continuing overnight to Tuesday morning, ‎killing one person and wounding ‎‎55 in the worst ‎flare-up in the area since ‎‎2014.‎

In response, the Israeli Air Force struck 160 Hamas assets and ‎‎over a dozen Islamic Jihad targets ‎in Gaza, ‎‎including Hamas' ‎Al-Aqsa TV headquarters in Gaza ‎City, and the group's intelligence ‎headquarters and ‎internal ‎security building, as well as several ‎weapon arsenals.

Rivlin said that before any agreement could be reached with the terrorist organization, Hamas must first return the two Israeli civilians it is holding captive and the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in 2014's Operation Protective Edge.

A U.N.- and Egyptian-brokered cease-fire went into effect late Tuesday afternoon.

According to a press statement, Rivlin also praised Francis' "absolute condemnation of acts of anti-Semitism and your definition of such acts as anti-Christian," which the president called "a significant step in the ongoing fight to stamp it out." ‎

In their meeting, Rivlin also expressed his gratitude for the friendly relations between Israel and the Catholic Church to the pope.

In a statement, the Holy See said Rivlin and Francis discussed the creation of conducive conditions for resuming Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the "Jerusalem question, in its religious and human dimension for Jews, Christians and Muslims, as well as the importance of safeguarding its identity and vocation as [the] City of Peace."

This was Rivlin's second meeting with the pope. Their first was held in 2015.

Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, were met with a reception at Vatican City, where they reviewed an honor guard of the Holy See's small force, the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

The post Israeli president slams Hamas in Vatican meeting with Pope Francis appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.