Free Republic

Pizzaballa had attempted to travel to the church within Jerusalem’s Old City with the Rev. Francesco Ielpo, the church’s official guardian, to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.It said the two were stopped en route and compelled to turn back, marking “the first time in centuries” that Palm Sunday Mass could not be celebrated at the church, which is the holiest site in Christianity, built where many believe Jesus was crucified.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that police had intervened to block Pizzaballa "out of special concern for his safety," claiming...

ROME — Pope Francis has called out Israel for what he sees as its “domineering tendency” in Lebanon and Gaza, insisting its response to attacks has been “disproportionate.” Over the weekend the pontiff returned to Rome from Belgium and aboard the flight was asked whether he thinks Israel “has perhaps gone too far” in its dealings with Lebanon and Gaza, specifically mentioning the force used in the targeted assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah. “The defense must always be proportionate to the attack,” he continued. “When there is something disproportionate, a dominating tendency that goes beyond morality is...