The day after Hamas’ onslaught against Israel, Pope Francis intoned: “Every war is a defeat.” A preemptive protest against retaliation, it contradicted centuries of the Catholic Church’s understanding of a just response to aggression. The ancient command to will good to all men does not mean leaving some of them loose to do evil to others.
Careful not to name Hamas, Francis begged that “the armed attacks stop.” His use of the plural “attacks” placed terrorists and Israelis on the same moral plane. It avoided distinction between a war of extermination against Jews and Israel’s defensive action against genocidal barbarians. Francis broadened lament to conflicts everywhere (especially in “beloved Ukraine”), and added: “Let us pray that there be peace in Israel and Palestine.”
America magazine, the Jesuits’ flagship magazine, flattered Francis’ evasion as “a measured appeal.” Papal reluctance to identify a clear aggressor sets the tenor of reaction down the chain of command to bishoprics and parishes.
My own neighborhood parishes have been calling for prayers for peace between Israel and Palestine since Oct. 7. The object of this urging is the chimera of peace in general. Hamas is not named. The words “depravity” and “Jew-hatred” go unspoken. Congregants are shepherded away from any impulse to pray for Israelis to win against their tormenters. Pressure is on against choosing sides.
Victory is the one resolution that Western media and the “international community” will not tolerate. Neither will Francis. His “measured appeal” applies the tactic of “accompaniment” to geopolitical issues. Accompaniment
