With hearts weighed by sorrow, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine mourns the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, shepherd of justice, champion of the oppressed, and tireless defender of human dignity.
His Holiness was more than a spiritual leader. He was a beacon of moral clarity in a world too often clouded by indifference and injustice. History will remember him not only as the head of the Catholic Church, but as a living conscience for humanity, fearless in his truth, boundless in his compassion, and unwavering in his stand for peace.
From the first days of his papacy, Pope Francis stood with those who suffer. He walked with the poor, spoke for the silenced, and reached out to the marginalized. For the Palestinian people, he was not just a global figure; we knew him as a brother in faith, an advocate for our cause, and a voice that refused to fall silent in the face of oppression.
In the darkest hours of war, especially during the brutal Israeli genocide in Gaza, Pope Francis raised his voice, clear, courageous, and without compromise. He condemned the killing of innocents, the forced displacement of families, and the targeting of civilians. He called on the international community to act, to end the war, to open humanitarian corridors, and to pursue peace rooted in justice.
His unwavering support for the Palestinian people, his defense of our rights, his vision of Jerusalem as a city of peace for all believers, will live on in our collective memory. His words gave us strength. His prayers gave us hope. His solidarity gave us dignity.
On behalf of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, Dr. Ramzi Khouri, member of the PLO Executive Committee and head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, the Committee extends our deepest condolences to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to the Custos of the Holy Land Father Francesco Patton, and to the Catholic Church around the world.
We have lost not just a Pope, we have lost a moral giant, a faithful friend, and a rare soul whose faith was action and whose love was universal.
May the Lord receive His Holiness into eternal peace, grant comfort to all who mourn, and inspire us to carry forward his legacy of truth, justice, and mercy.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
