Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin sharply condemned Israel on Monday, accusing it of carrying out a “massacre” in Gaza. The statement marks one of the harshest criticisms to date from the Holy See regarding Israel’s war in Gaza — an unusually blunt comment from an institution known for its cautious and diplomatic tone.
Parolin, who has served as the Vatican’s Secretary of State since 2013 and is effectively its prime minister and foreign minister, made the remarks in an interview published ahead of the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre. He described Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza as “inhuman and indefensible” and also urged Hamas to release the hostages it continues to hold.
“Those who are attacked have a right to defend themselves,” Parolin said, “but even legitimate defence must respect the principle of proportionality. The war waged by the Israeli army to eliminate Hamas militants disregards the fact that it is targeting a largely defenseless population, already pushed to the brink, in an area where buildings and homes are reduced to rubble.”
Parolin added that “it is clear that the international community is, unfortunately, powerless and that the countries truly capable of exerting influence have so far failed to act to stop the ongoing massacre.” He further questioned “the legitimacy of continuing to supply weapons that are being used against civilians,” though he did not name specific nations.
Tensions between Israel and the Vatican have deepened in recent months. In July, relations soured after a deadly Israeli strike hit the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, killing one man and two women and wounding others. The Vatican issued a rare and strongly worded condemnation, and Pope Leo XIV accused Israel of using “disproportionate force.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later apologized to the pope, saying Israel was “deeply sorry” for the incident. However, the Vatican stated afterward that the apology was “not sufficient to erase the harm done to the church.”
Israel also did not send a senior official to the funeral of Pope Francis, apart from its ambassador to the Vatican. In May, President Isaac Herzog attended the coronation ceremony of Pope Leo XIV, and last month he met with the pontiff in Rome, inviting him to visit Israel.