Ynet news April 27, 2025 Rabbi Yosef Garmon, a former chief rabbi of Guatemala and current president of the International Humanitarian Coalition, spoke with Ynet about his meetings with Pope Francis. He also voiced criticism regarding Israel's diplomatic conduct.
"I have been working around the world for years, particularly within the Christian world, investing time and resources, and in recent days I have been receiving many calls from various leaders who are angry, and rightly so, at Israel," he stated.
"'Has Israel gone mad?' they ask me. 'We supported Israel throughout the war, and suddenly we receive this severe blow to our feelings.'
I like to explain, but here I am left speechless, and I truly have no way to explain this bizarre, not to say delusional, behavior. I think Israel has made a serious mistake here, and we will pay the price for it." Oh, no! another enemy
Rabbi Garmon continued, "One can oppose the pope, one can even be angry at him, anything is possible, but we must not simply hurt the feelings of more than 1.3 billion people who believe in him and see that Israel published condolence messages on official networks – and shortly after deleted everything, and of course, screenshots remained and were published everywhere in the world.
"It would have been appropriate to send even a slightly more respectable delegation to his funeral and not ignore it almost completely. The pope is not the issue here, and his opinions no longer matter so much. Israel may even be right, but it is certainly not wise in this matter."
Originally Posted by Capri
Pope is dead he doesn't care but not offering condolences to the mourning Christians in Israel and around the world is an act of smallness Petty
Oh, no! another enemy
Pope is dead he doesn't care 
