April 26, 2025 | 11:27 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel has no plans to send an envoy to attend Pope Francis' funeral. As reported by Middle East Eye, Israel has only sent its ambassador to the Vatican to the funeral of the leader of the Catholic Church.
According to Israeli media, Haaretz, the Catholic Church in Jerusalem, and the Israeli Catholic community have expressed disappointment over this decision. Israel is disappointed because Pope Francis has repeatedly expressed his support for the Palestinians.
A senior church official in Israel told Haaretz that the Latin patriarch in Jerusalem is very aware of what is happening. This has reached the top ranks of the church.
Pope's funeral ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, is expected to be attended by numerous world leaders. The absence of Israeli officials is in stark contrast to the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. The funeral of Pope John Paul II was attended by the President of Israel, the Foreign Minister, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Chief Rabbi.
Controversy arose after the Israeli government posted and then deleted a message of condolences for the Pope. In some of the now-deleted posts, the accounts belonging to the Israeli Foreign Ministry in various countries expressed their mourning for Pope Francis' passing. "Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing."
To The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Foreign Ministry officials said the message was posted in error. "We responded to the Pope’s statements against Israel and the war during his lifetime, and we will not do so after his death. We respect the feelings of his believers," said the Foreign Ministry.
Other prominent Israeli officials, especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, remained silent amid the world's mourning.
Meanwhile, several officials, including former Israeli ambassador to Italy, Dror Idar, said that no representative was allowed to attend the Pope's funeral on Saturday because he incited anti-Semitism.
Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88, was a vocal supporter of the Palestinians during the Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian social media users, including many from Gaza, have paid their respects to him. In his final address on Easter Sunday, delivered from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis once again called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
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