Page 84 - October 7 - Teresa Pirola

antisemitic, but I make the point that his comments, and the way that media took them up, subtly undermined the rightful remembrance of Jewish suffering when millions of Jews were slaughtered at the hands of the Nazis—on the very occasion that such remembrance should be taken to heart and met with the firm conviction of ‘Never Again’.
Since his election as pope, I have warmly welcomed Francis’ papacy, and supported his general approach in almost every way. But I cannot agree with the path he has forged and led his flock down in response to October 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza.
Antisemitism has erupted around the world since October 7, and the vicious murders of Israeli civilians have been celebrated by Hamas and their supporters, including those found among UNRWA personnel and left-wing western activists. Holocaust survivors have spoken out about the similarities they observe between the antisemitism of the 1930s–40s and its surge since October 7. The United Nations is investigating the complicity of its own personnel in the massacre of October 7 as (at the time of writing) seven nations have pulled their funding of UNRWA. What more evidence does the Catholic Church need to be prompted to channel its human rights sensibilities in defence of Jewish communities targeted by a new wave of antisemitism, especially when taking the form of horrific dehumanising atrocities?
If there was ever a time since the end of World War II for antisemitism to be given a loud and clear focus in connection with Holocaust remembrance, and for Christians to examine their own conscience in this regard, surely it is now, four months after survivors of the Shoah were either murdered, kidnapped or, in some cases, luckily survived the attacks by Hamas in southern Israel. Yet Catholic voices have been
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