Pope Francis on Wednesday met separately with Israeli relatives of captives detained by Hamas and Palestinians with family in Gaza, saying the crisis had progressed beyond war to “terrorism.”
Francis claimed he heard directly how “both sides are suffering” in the war during his unscripted remarks at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square, just after the early morning discussions in his house.
“This is what wars do. But here, we have gone beyond wars. This is not a war. This is terrorism,” he said.
The Pope called for prayers so that both sides would “not go ahead with passions, which, in the end, kill everyone”.
Later that day, both groups held separate press conferences.
The discussions and the pope’s remarks came only hours after Israel’s government and Hamas agreed to a truce for at least four days, allow aid in, and free at least 50 hostages kidnapped by terrorists in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Since the Hamas onslaught on Oct. 7, Israel has imposed a siege and continuous bombardment on Gaza, killing 1,200 Palestinians, largely civilians, according to Israeli estimates.
More than 13,000 Gazans have been murdered since then, with about 40% of them being minors, according to medical professionals in the Hamas-ruled region, according to data deemed reliable by the UN.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
