Munther Isaac accuses world leaders of “hypocrisy” and claims that they did not recognize the true legacy of the late pontiff to speak out against the war and the policies of Israeli apartheid
A Pastor of Belém criticized the “hypocrisy” of world leaders about his honors to the late Pope Francis, who did not recognize the situation of the Pauza Palestinians devastated by war, as well as the “worst” Easter weekend that Palestinian Christians experienced in recent memory.
“This Easter, in terms of Israel’s actions in East Jerusalem, was the worst of all,” Reverend Munther Isaac, pastor and Christian theologian, to Mee Live. “It looks like it’s getting worse every year.”
The pastor appeared at Mee Live to discuss Pope Francis’ legacy, whose death on Easter Monday ended a weekend marked by air attacks in Gaza, a colonist violence in the busy West Bank, and the ban on Palestinian faithful in sacred places in Jerusalem.
“We should not simply accept East Jerusalem’s annexation as a status quo,” Isaac said, citing Israel’s decision from preventing thousands of Palestinian Christians from attending cults in the old town of Jerusalem.
“It’s very difficult to understand this oppression, this violence against people who just want to go to church,” said Isaac.
The goal is clear. Israel wants to strengthen its control over the old city of Jerusalem, including sacred places, to give Jerusalem solely and exclusively a Jewish identity, rather than we all want – Jerusalem is a city shared by three religions and two peoples, equality and mutual respect. What Israel is doing is really negligible, and I hope the world pays attention.
His comments were made as world leaders of all kinds paid tribute to Pope Francis, but did not recognize his last appeal, which he pressed for the end of the war in Gaza.
“We will hear today, tomorrow and next week words of tribute to Pope Francis of world and politicians,” said Isaac. “All these words, in my opinion, only reveal hypocrisy.”
While alive, Pope Francis called the Holy Family Church in the city of Gaza almost every day to check the welfare of his flock on the devastated enclave.
But since his death, most world leaders refrained from recognizing their legacy.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Strmer, described Francis as “a pope to the poor, the oppressed and the forgotten,” while King Charles said the pontiff “touched the life of many deeply.”
“If they had been sincere,” Isaac said, “they would have followed his example. They would require not only a ceasefire but also accountability.”
In November, Pope Francis requested an investigation to verify that Israel’s campaign in Gaza was a genocide of the Palestinian people.
“According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” he wrote in his book, Hope Does Not Disappoint.
“It should be carefully investigated to determine whether to fit the technical definition formulated by jurists or international organizations.”
The book was published days before the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of a series of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Days before the ICC issued his arrest warrants, a report by a Special UN committee accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon of war and Gaza policies and practices that can be equivalent to a “possibility of genocide.”
‘Killing children is not the way to follow’
In the interview, Isaac also criticized hypocrisy in the coverage of the media about Francisco’s legacy, recalling a moment in 2014, when the Pope won the global headlines as he stopped to pray on the wall that divides Israel of the West Bank.
“There is a lot of hypocrisy behind those who shared this story, but they forgot the situation, the occupation, the suffering of the Palestinians when the Pope left.
“Everyone stopped, everyone took pictures, everyone talked about the moment he touched the wall. But then he left, and everything continued in the same style of covering up – or even ignoring – what is happening in Palestine.”
But for Palestinian Christians, the pastor said, Pope Francis’ solidarity will remain alive.
“He touched more than just the wall. He touched apartheid’s ugliness. And even more, he touched our hearts, showing that he saw through our pain and suffering.”
Pope Francis’ solidarity with the Palestinians led to criticism and even celebrations of his death within Israel, where the government deleted its own publication on social networks offering condolences for the death of the 88 -year -old man.
Others explicitly accused the Pope of “anti -Semitism.” Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, said the Pontiff demonstrated “unconditional support for Hamas.”
“It’s shameful, truly shameful,” said Isaac. “It is shameful that accusations of anti -Semitism continue to be used as a weapon, even in an attempt to stain the reputation of a great man like Pope Francis.”
He does not defend one group of people against the other. He defends humanity, justice and is against war.
“And he clearly understood that killing children is not the way forward.”
Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, Israel has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and has turned much of the enclave into uninhabitable hell.
Families and whole neighborhoods were destroyed, with schools and hospitals repeatedly devastated by air strikes and tann shots.
Since resumed his offensive after reaching out a ceasefire agreement on March 2, Israel, which is strongly supported by the US, the United Kingdom and other Western powers, has refused to allow vital supplies, including food, medicine, fuel and cooking oil, to enter the track.
Earlier this month, the Palestinian non -governmental organizations network (Pngo) warned that the situation in Gaza had reached an “advanced stage of hunger”, aggravated by the bombing of food warehouses, water desalination plants and the closing of community kitchens.
Originally published by Mee on 24/04/2025
Por Mathilda Mallonson
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/04/26/pastor-de-belem-critica-lideres-mundiais-por-ignorar-apelo-do-papa-francisco-para-gaza/
