Vatican not ready to declare Israel’s assault on Gaza genocide: Pope in book

The Holy See is not ready to declare Israel’s campaign in Gaza genocide, Pope Leo XIV said in an interview given in July but published Thursday.

“The word genocide is being thrown around more and more,” the pope said in an interview with US journalist Elise Ann Allen for the book “Pope Leo XIV: Global Citizen, Missionary of the 21st Century.”

“Officially, the Holy See does not believe that we can make any declaration at this time about that.

“There’s a very technical definition about what genocide might be, but more and more people are raising the issue.”

UN investigators on Tuesday accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza in a bid to “destroy the Palestinians”, accusing Israel’s prime minister and other top officials of incitement.

It marks the first time a UN-mandated investigative body has concluded the country is committing genocide.

In the July interview, US-born Leo said it was frustrating that even the United States is struggling to pressure Israel into easing suffering in Gaza, where the UN says Palestinians face starvation.

“Even with some very clear statements being made by the United States government, recently by President Trump, there has not been a clear response in terms of finding effective ways to alleviate the suffering of the people, the innocent people in Gaza, and that is obviously of great concern,” he said.

The pontiff said it was “so horrible to see the images that we see on television,” adding “hopefully we won’t grow numb.”

“We can’t ignore this. Somehow, we have to continue to push, to try and make a change there”, he added.

Diverging from the Vatican’s official line, Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis had questioned whether Israel’s heavy handed military response amounted to genocide in Gaza.

The war erupted in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack inside Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has displaced virtually the entire Gaza population and has killed more than 65,000 people, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza that the UN considers reliable.

On Wednesday, Leo expressed solidarity with the population of Gaza, saying that civilians had been “once again” forced from their land and were living in “unacceptable conditions.”