Israel will be represented only by the ambassador to the pope's funerals. How did the relationships with the Vatican deteriorated
Pope Francis at the Wall of Complaint, during his visit to Jerusalem, from 2014 Photo: Oded Balilty / AP / Profimedia
Most countries will be represented by heads of state or government or members of royal families in Pope Francis on Saturday, but Israel will only be represented by his Vatican ambassador, writes Reuters. The decision to have a representation at the lowest possible level is a sign of the level to which Israel's relations have been damaged since the beginning of the Gaza War.
The first sign was given by the Israeli government's decision to delete the post from the social networks through which condolences were transmitted after the pope's death.
Netanyahu's silence
Shortly after the death of the Sovereign Pontiff was announced on Monday, on the account @israel on X was published the following message: “Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing.” The post was accompanied by an image of the Pope during his visit to Jerusalem. Subsequently, the posting was deleted without any explanation. Jerusalem Post quoted officials from the Foreign Ministry who said the message was published “by mistake”.
At the funeral precedents of a pope who died on the pontifical throne, John Paul II in 2005, Israel was represented at the level of president. Now, however, the Vatican Israeli embassy has announced that it will be Yaron Sideman, who is an ambassador from September.
The Embassy of Israel to the Vatican limited its reaction on social media to the repost of a condolence message addressed to Christians in the Holy Land and in the world by President Isaac Herzog, who described the deceased Pope as “a man with a deep faith and a compassion without borders.”
So far, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a right -wing coalition of religious and nationalist parties, has not commented on the death of the spiritual leader of Catholics from all over the world.
The relations between the Vatican and Israel have been constantly deteriorated since the Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Over 50,000 people were then killed in Gaza, and most of the 2,300,000 inhabitants had to leave their homes.
Mutual critics and controversial statements
One month after the conflict began, a dispute broke on the fact that Pope Francis used the word “genocide” to describe the events in Gaza. The Palestinians who met him said he did. The Vatican denied. The same day, the Pope also met with the relatives of some Israeli hostages.
After the beginning of the war, the ambassador of Israel to the Vatican of that time, Raphael Schultz, lobby at the state secretariat of the papal cure, asking that the Pope be more vigorous in the condemnation of Hamas. “It is a simple difference. One of the camps represents the crime, rape and carelessness towards those in their own camp, and the other camp is engaged in a war of self-defense,” said Schultz in 2023.
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Last year, after the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said that Israel's response to the Hamas attack was “disproportionate”, the Israel's Embassy issued a statement in which the statement as “deplorable”. Subsequently, the embassy reduced criticism, invoking a translation error, but the relationships remained tense.
In June 2024, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican Foreign Minister, seemed to criticize Schultz at an event in which they both participated. “The holy chair does not close its doors in front of anyone and strives to understand the reasons and perspective of anyone. In this regard, it is appreciated when the positions of an authority are presented promptly through the right diplomatic channels,” said Galllagher.
Francis, who visited the Holy Land in 2014, suggested in November that the global community should analyze if the military campaign of Israel in Gaza is not a genocide, which is the most explicit criticism of Israel's behavior in the war with Hamas.
In January, the Pope described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “shameful”, which caused criticism from the chief rabbi of Rome, Riccardo di Segno, who accused the pope of “selective indignation.” However, Di Segnni presented his tribute to the deceased Pope this week, going to the chapel of the residence in which the Sovereign Pontiff died. He also said he would attend the funerals of Pope Francis, he really takes place by the Jewish Sabbat.
