Pope Francis calls for the release of hostages and an end to the conflict in Gaza

Every Sunday and for important holidays when the Pope is in Rome, a mass takes place in the St. Peter's Square, the prayer of the Angelus at 12 noon. Last Sunday, after the prayer, the Pope Francisco He was referring to the families of the six hostages whose bodies were recovered in early September.

The Pope also made an urgent appeal for an end to the conflict: “Let the violence cease, let the hatred cease, let the hostages be freed and let the negotiations continue. Let solutions for peace be found.”

The Pope also mentioned having met Goldberg-Polin's mother, Rachel, in November of last year, and said he had been moved by her humanity. He said he was with her in her grief and would continue to pray for the victims and their families.

Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 at the age of 23, during the attack at a music festival in southern Israel. During the attack he was seriously wounded, losing part of his left arm.

Before he was captured, he sent text messages to his mother telling her he loved her and saying “I’m sorry.” His body was recovered along with that of five other hostages after they had been executed by their captors.