As of me writing this answer, Pope Francis is in the hospital. He suffers from double pneumonia, mild liver failure and he is severely asthmatic and 88-years-old. In spite of this, the elderly church leader requested one of his aides to bring him a phone.
He called up the parish in Gaza. One of the few churches remaining in the bombed out city that has suffered war, fighting and devastation for years.[1]
Throughout his tenure as Pope, Francis has made an effort of staying in touch with his flock, even if they stay in active warzones.
Sometimes the Pope would video call his parishioners, other times he would let them know through text message that they are not forgotten.
Gaza only has three churches remaining, and some buildings nearly two thousand years old have been destroyed by the war. These are people who have nothing whatsoever to do with the conflict between Israel and Hamas — they’re just “in the wrong place, at the wrong time” and suffer the consequences of this daily, losing family and friends and being perpetually unsafe and fearing for their lives.
There is something incredibly moving about an 88-year-old ailing Pope, in what could very well be his last days, refusing to forget about these people. Remembering them, even when the world media moves on. And letting them know: “I got your back. You’re in my prayers.” That’s a good man. A genuinely moral man.
Footnotes
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