Pope calls for investigation into whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Will it change anything?

In a new book, Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether Israel's ground offensive in Gaza constitutes a genocide, sparking intense debate about the war and also raising questions about the tangible impact that papal statements have on Catholics and global politics.

The remarks were reported in the book, Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims Toward a Better World, published this weekby journalist Hernn Reyes Alcaide. They represent the Pope's first public push for an investigation into Israel's war against Hamas, which has killed some 44,000 Palestinians over the past 13 months, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

"Some experts say what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide," the Pope told Alcaide. "We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies."

The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines genocide as actions aimed at destroying, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. That includes everything from killing to preventing births or forcibly transferring children.

The Pope's comments come as most of Gaza's 2.2 million residents face mass displacement, collapsing infrastructure, and widespread hunger. Aid agencies have described the conditions as "apocalyptic." However, though the remarks are his strongest remarks yet, observers say they may not move the needle for most people Catholic or otherwise.

Comments draw rebuke from Israel

The Catholic leader's words drew a sharp rebuke from Israel, with its ambassador to the Vatican Yaron Sideman rejecting the genocide label. He wrote on X that Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, by Israeli figures, was "a genocidal massacre" and framed Israel's attacks in Gaza as self-defence.

Francis and other Catholic leaders have criticized Israel's policies in the occupied West Bank and Gaza without opposing the country's existence. And while the Catholic Church has a history of antisemitism, Pope Francis has had good relations with the Jewish communities in Buenos Aires, where he served as archbishop, and in Rome, said Lisa Palmieri-Billig, the American Jewish Committee representative in Italy and liaison to the Holy See.

"It's unfortunate that he singles out something that doesn't conform to the definition of genocide," said Palmieri-Billig. "I think it convinces people who don't have an opinion, who say, 'Well, the Pope said this, so it must be true.' The politicians are already decided."

Palestinians view the remarks as affirmation

For many Palestinians, the Pope's comments, first published in an excerpt in the Italian daily La Stampa on Sunday, were a welcome affirmation.

"We have always expressed gratitude to His Holiness for his support of human rights, justice, and Palestinian self-determination," said the Palestinian Community of Rome in a statement.

"Pope Francis has consistently voiced concern over Palestinian suffering and called for respect for international law."

The group's president, Yousef Salman, later characterized the Pope's comments as better late than never.

"What he said was just a tiny part of the truth and reality," Salman told CBC, "and what the International Court of Justice, the UN and Amnesty International have already said. The bitter truth is he said nothing new."

A case brought by South Africa alleging genocidal actions by Israel is pending at the International Court of Justice.

Still, Salman noted, "The Pope is still the Pope. His words carry weight morally and politically."

Previous pope politics

The Pope has used the term "genocide" in the past to describe historical atrocities, such as the Armenian genocide, despite pushback from Turkey. He has also said the residential school system in Canada and its forced assimilation of Indigenous children amounted to genocide.

In 2017, during a visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh, Francis condemned the persecution of Rohingya Muslims, though at first he had refrained from naming them.

Other popes, too, have waded into politics.

In 2003, Pope John Paul II fiercely opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, calling it a "defeat for humanity," bolstering anti-war protests, though failing to stop it.

In the 1994 Rwandan genocide, John Paul II was the first to call it a genocide and urged for reconciliation, though Francis later asked for forgiveness for the Catholic priests who had taken part in the killings. The Vatican also failed to widely speak out against the Holocaust.

Pope's remarks tend to reinforce established views: observers

While Pope Francis's recent comments on Gaza might be seen as a moral challenge to world leaders, observers say they tend to reinforce established views on conflicts, human rights and other pressing issues, rather than change minds.

"Individual Catholics might give the Pope's call for a genocide investigation more thought, particularly because the Pope said it, but he's already made his stance on Gaza clear from the beginning of the conflict," said Francis X. Rocca, a longtime Vatican observer based in Rome.

WATCH | Pope Francis called for ceasefire in Gaza in April:

Pope Francis calls for Gaza ceasefire in Easter address

8 months ago

Duration 1:26

In his Easter Sunday address, Pope Francis deplored the suffering caused by wars as he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages. The pontiff, presiding over the Mass in a packed St. Peter's Square, also mentioned other flashpoints, including Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Haiti and Sudan.

"His criticism of the situation shouldn't be surprising."

Rocca says the Pope's stance on Gaza reflects his careful diplomacy, while underscoring his increasing skepticism of the concept of "just war" a theory rooted in Catholic theology that justifies war under specific conditions.

Pope Francis has publicly said the use of arms is justified, most recently when referring to Ukraine defending itself from Russia's invasion, but has done so with great hesitation, say observers.

"I think the Pope is nudging the Church closer and closer to passivism," said Vatican observer Robert Mickens.

Mickens suggests the move is driven both by the Pope's desire to align with early Christian pacifist values and the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons.

"He's allowed people within his pontificate to question the whole concept of 'just war,' and speaks out often about how much money is being gobbled up by the arms industry," said Mickens.

"But what he says doesn't seem to change the opinion of most people, I'm afraid."