Jewish groups have criticized Pope Francis and demanded clarification over his comments, which they say incriminate both. Hamas calls Israel “terrorism.”

The Holy Father made the comments Wednesday after separate meetings with Jewish relatives of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians whose families are in the Gaza Strip.

Later that day, at his general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Francis spoke about these meetings, saying that I felt pain on both sides.

“That’s what wars do. But here we have gone beyond wars. This is not a war. This is terrorism“, said.

He asked for prayer that both sides “not continue the passions that ultimately kill everyone.”

In a strongly worded statement on Thursday Council of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis (ARI) accused the Supreme Pontiff of “publicly accusing both sides of terrorism.”

Similarly, he accused anonymous “church leaders” of not condemning the Hamas attack and “putting the aggressor and attacker on the same level in the name of supposed impartiality.”

At a Palestinian press conference on Wednesday, those who met with the Holy Father said he condemned Hamas’ actions as terrorism, but they also quoted him as saying:“Terror should not justify terror.” He was also reported to have used the word “genocide” to describe the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas militants crossed the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip on October 7. killed 1200 people and took about 240 hostages, according to Israeli estimates.

Since then, Israeli bombing killed more than 14,000 Gazans. According to health authorities in Hamas-controlled territory, about 40% of them are children.

In a message posted Wednesday evening on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) thanked the Supreme Pontiff for the meeting with the families of the hostages and his repeated calls for the release of prisoners.

But the AJC added: “Later that day he called the war between Israel and Hamas “beyond war” and “terrorism.” Hamas’ massacres and kidnappings of civilians constitute terrorism. Israeli self-defense – no. Vatican, please clarify“.

In a statement, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization based in the United States, asked the Pope “do not forget that all the suffering and losses incurred since October 7 are associated with the intolerant actions of Hamas.”

He stated that all the suffering and losses of both the families of the hostages and the civilians of Gaza were caused by “Hamas terrorists who on October 7, in the most brutal manner, carried out the worst mass murder of Jews since the defeat of Nazi Germany and World War II.”

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Italian rabbis questioned the value “decades of Judeo-Christian dialogue” Yes, when Jews are attacked, the Vatican responds with “diplomatic acrobatics.”

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has participated in several peacekeeping missions in Ukraine for the pope, defended him on Thursday, telling reporters that the pontiff “I didn’t put everyone on the same page.”and that the Holy Father “understands the motives of the Israeli government.”

(Reuters)