Pope Francis waves after delivering his traditional Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi speech to the city and the world from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, December 25, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi

i24 News – On the six-month anniversary of the devastating October 7th attack by Hamas, Pope Francis has agreed to meet with families of the hostages taken during the tragedy.

The meeting, scheduled for tomorrow at the Vatican, comes as part of a diplomatic visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

Acknowledging the significance of the meeting, Foreign Minister Katz expressed gratitude for the Pope’s response to the request. He stated, “I thank the Pope for responding to the request to meet with the families of the abductees in order to strengthen them and support the return of the abductees home. The Pope’s support has great moral and practical weight.”

The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis accepted the invitation to meet with the families of the abductees who are accompanying Minister Katz during his diplomatic visit to Italy and the Vatican. The meeting aims to express solidarity with the families and to advocate for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.

Following the meeting with the Pope, Minister Katz is expected to engage in discussions with the Vatican’s Foreign Minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. Their talks will center on the importance of increasing international pressure to secure the release of the 133 hostages still in captivity.

Minister Katz emphasized the significance of the visit, stating, “The purpose of the visit is to increase awareness of the issue of the release of the abductees and to ensure Italy’s continued support for Israel’s war goals and condition any ceasefire on the release of the abductees first.”