Pope Francis, who met with rabbis from over Europe on Monday, condemned terrorism, war, and antisemitism in a written speech that he declined to read because he wasn’t feeling well.
The Pope expressed his delight at meeting the rabbis during the audience in the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, stressing that he was very happy to receive them, but added: “I’m not feeling well, and so I prefer not to read the speech but give it to you, so you can take it with you.”
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope “has a bit of a cold and a long day of audiences.” The 86-year-old pontiff ”preferred to greet the European rabbis individually, and that’s why he handed over his speech.”
In his prepared speech, the Pope denounced the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe, while reiterating his call for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
“Not weapons, not terrorism, not war, but compassion, justice and dialogue are the fitting means for building peace,” Francis said in it.
For the rest of the day, the Pope’s activities were going according to plan.
