Pope Francis' representative in the Holy Land said on Monday he was willing to exchange himself for Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas and held in Gaza.
I know we're all cynics here, but good for him. Even if this is entirely a publicity stunt, the guy is still taking a huge risk that someone might offer to take him up on it. That's a lot of nerve, and that's a lot of faith, either in God or in the way Hamas values hostages.
Either way, to repeat the notion elsewhere in the thread: any of us offering? Maybe it's a low risk--but it ain't zero. It's easy to dismiss these kinds of gestures from the same armchairs from which we solve geopolitics and warfare, but a public figure going on record for selflessness is something to be celebrated, even if the only noble trait is willingness to roll the dice on human nature in the hope of sharing an altruistic sentiment.
"Hurt me instead of her" is something we wish more people of faith would say everywhere.
If genuine, this man shows a deep understanding of Christianity that eclipses all American evangelicals combined. He'd be a seriously good person, worth being respected by everyone regardless of religion.
a Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek in the German death camp of Auschwitz
The Catholic Church venerates him as the patron saint of amateur radio operators, drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, and prisoners.
Drug addicts are likely in there because they were victims of the Holocaust. Sainthood is like that. You’ve got some things that are directly related to you, and several that someone needs to be patron of and you’re close enough
What is Hamas going to do with a catholic priest?
They want to exchange Israeli hostages for all the Palestinian men, women and children that Israel is holding hostage in Israeli prisons.
At the end of June 2023, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) was holding 147 Palestinian minors in detention or in prison on what it defined “security” grounds. At that time, the IPS was also holding 26 Palestinian minors for being in Israel illegally.
VATICAN CITY, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Pope Francis' representative in the Holy Land said on Monday he was willing to exchange himself for Israeli children taken hostage by Hamas and held in Gaza.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, made his comment in response to a question during a video conference with journalists in Italy.
He stressed, however, that he and his office had not yet had any direct contact with Hamas, the militant Islamist group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,300 people.
Diplomatic efforts have been intensifying to get aid into Gaza as Israel prepares a ground invasion to destroy Hamas.
Pizzaballa said that about 1,000 Christians were sheltering in Church buildings in northern Gaza after their homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes.
Israel has urged exhausted Gazans to evacuate to the south, which hundreds of thousands have already done in the enclave that is home to more than 2 million people.
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I was going to reply, stopped to look at this guy's comment history. I'm not seeing a lot of worth in it, it's mostly one-liners about this or that, no real engagement. Some seem mildly divisive simply for division's sake.
It's such a ludicrous, ostentatious and baseless offer since he hasn't even made contact with Hamas and acknowledges he won't be able to that most people aren't going to bother commenting about it.
I have the luxuries of callous taste and ample time.
Oh yes. Hamas will greatly value a Catholic priest over multiple hostages.
I suppose it can't be pure grandstanding, since this offer is public and could theoretically if illogically be accepted, but the fact that he hasn't even talked to hamas and has acknowledged that he can't talk to Hamas and is still telling the public about his "offer" reeks of bluster
They don't, they have their faith. Some may say this is noble, some may say it's foolish. This guy believes in his convictions enough to potentially offer his health and life for another he's never met that doesn't even worship the same ideas as him. That's exceedingly rare these days, and will likely be moreso in the future.
They don’t. It would just be a very bad look for Hamas. They’d just have no reason to kill him, or even to do the exchange.
It sounds like I’m being facetious but I am not. They’re not holding the hostages for ransom. They’re holding them for a prisoner exchange, I presume. However, I think the time for that kind of deal making is over for now. I think the Israeli government is going to destroy Hamas.
The only negotiation o could see happening - and I haven’t even seen anyone suggest this - would be the Palestinian Authority or another group to broker a surrender of Hamas leadership. I don’t think that’s going to happen either.
I anticipate Israel makes a ground incursion while continuing airstrikes, 10k or more Palestinians killed, and Mossad and Shin Bet go gloves off in assassinating Hamas leadership and allies. I think they’re going to get a lot of leniency and possibly cooperation from the international community, including some Arab states.
This was a 9/11 for Israel, and I think they’re going to be permitted a disproportionate response.