Pope Francis regularly called a church in Gaza to ask how residents there were doing during the Israel-Hamas war. He is remembered as a defender and consoling presence.

The link between political developments in the Middle East and the theological and cultural exchange between Judaism and Christianity has always remained tight. Since Oct. 7, old ghosts have appeared — and ugly insinuations against the late Pope.

In Jerusalem, mourners gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to remember Pope Francis, who championed peace across the Middle East. Local clergy say he called Gaza’s only Catholic parish daily,