Pope Francis Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza, Hostage Release in Easter Message

April 21, 2025 | 12:51 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pope Francis has urged for a ceasefire in Gaza. After recovering from illness, the Pope delivered an Easter message on Sunday, April 20, 2025. The message was read by an aide, while the 88-year-old Pope only briefly appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

Doctors advised the Pope to limit his activities, so he did not lead the Easter Mass at the Vatican. However, he still appeared at the end of the event to give the *Urbi et Orbi* blessing and deliver a message of peace.

Prior to being hospitalized for five weeks due to pneumonia that nearly took his life, Pope Francis had repeatedly criticized Israel's military operation in Gaza. Last January, he described the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory as "very serious and shameful."

In this year's Easter message, the Pope described the situation in Gaza as dramatic and heartbreaking. He urged Hamas to immediately release all hostages still held and condemned the alarming global rise in anti-Semitism. "I express my closeness to the suffering of the people of Israel and Palestine," he said as quoted by Channel News Asia. "I urge all parties in conflict to stop the war, free the hostages, and help the starving people for a peaceful future."

Hamas recently rejected Israel's temporary ceasefire proposal, demanding a more permanent agreement to end the war as a condition for releasing hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to intensify attacks on Hamas.

The war was triggered by Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage. Since then, over 51,000 Palestinian civilians have been reported killed in Israeli attacks, including 1,600 casualties in the past month according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.

In addition to delivering the Easter message, Pope Francis also met briefly with US Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican. The meeting lasted only a few minutes, exchanging Easter greetings. The Pope continues to be a vocal advocate for peace amid escalating conflict, despite still recovering from illness.

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