Vatican City, November 17, 2023 (KAP) The Vatican’s chief diplomat, Pietro Parolin, promised a meeting between Pope Francis and relatives of Hamas hostages. “We are working on it and we hope to be able to make it happen as quickly as possible. Probably next week,” the cardinal secretary of state told reporters Friday in Rome. The newspaper “Il Messaggero” reported this. Portal news agency claims to have already discovered the exact date. On Wednesday morning, before his general audience, Francis is expected to meet with twelve family members, he said, citing Vatican sources.
The media has been speculating about such a meeting since mid-October. The Pope has repeatedly publicly called for the release of people kidnapped by the terrorist organization Hamas. Parolin reiterated this call, according to Il Messaggero on Friday. “The release of the hostages is a crucial point in resolving the situation. They are children, even babies, pregnant women, the elderly, adults, young people, not only Israelis, but also people of other peoples and nationalities,” said the Vatican. chief diplomat. It is not yet known whether the Vatican is involved in negotiations regarding the release of the hostages through diplomatic or other channels.