A report from the Washington Post, citing an anonymous high-ranking Israeli official, revealed that Pope Francis and President Isaac Herzog of Israel had a strained telephone conversation last month. During the call, the Pope seemingly labeled Israel’s military actions against Hamas in Gaza as “terrorism.” Pope Francis emphasized to Herzog that “it is forbidden to respond to terror with terror.” This characterization was met with protest from Herzog, according to the report. In the conversation, Francis reiterated the principle that terror should not be met with terror. Herzog, in response, defended Israel’s actions in Gaza as self-defense. The Pope acknowledged that those behind the October 7 attacks should be held accountable but stressed that civilians should not bear the consequences. Israeli authorities chose not to disclose details of this challenging conversation, as per the Washington Post’s report, due to the Pope’s stance on their operations in Gaza being equated to acts of terrorism. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)