Pope Francis met this week with five Israeli families who had relatives kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.
Vatican News reports that among those who met on Sunday with the Pope for 35 minutes was the aunt of Shiri Bibas—an Israeli mother taken captive along with her two sons, 4-year-old Ariel and 9-month-old Kfir, the youngest hostage taken in the Oct. 7 massacre. Pope Francis reportedly placed his hand on a picture of the two boys that the aunt brought with her to bless them. Another family member gave the Pontiff a necklace featuring a house with a heart inside it, symbolizing solidarity with the hostages.
The visit comes as part of a larger delegation to Italy led by Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who met with his counterpart in the Vatican, H.E. Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, to talk about the release of the hostages and the ongoing Middle East conflict. The delegation is also scheduled to meet with senior Italian government officials and members of the Italian Jewish community.
Since the Gaza war broke out six months ago, Pope Francis has advocated for the release of Israeli hostages, along with a ceasefire and a focus on humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
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