Surprisingly, Pope Francis did not participate in the deliberations at the beginning of the second week of the World Synod. Although he was announced, the 86-year-old was absent from the Vatican audience room, which had been converted into a Synod room, throughout Monday morning.
Observers suspect that the war in the Holy Land may have been the reason. Also on Monday, the Israeli embassy to the Holy See criticized in a statement that the leaders of Christian churches had not yet clearly condemned the attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas. In this context, the message recalled the silence of Pope Pius XII. (1939-1958) in the face of the extermination of the Jews in the Third Reich. (KNA)