According to the newspaper, the ministry removed posts expressing condolences for the late pope from its official accounts, instructed all diplomatic missions to delete any similar posts, and issued an internal directive prohibiting ambassadors from signing condolence books.
Haaretz explained that the Foreign Ministry later claimed that these directives were published "by mistake," without providing a detailed explanation.
Following the Pope's death last Monday morning, the Israeli government and Knesset did not issue any official statement of condolence. Instead, the Israeli government dispatched its ambassador to the Vatican, Yaron Seidemann, to attend the Pope's funeral, scheduled for Saturday morning in St. Peter's Square. This was in contrast to the usual protocol of sending high-ranking figures such as the president or foreign minister.
Haaretz noted that the Israeli reaction came after Pope Francis took explicit positions against the war on Gaza. In his last appearance on the occasion of Easter, the Pope described what was happening in Gaza as "death and destruction" and a "horrific and shameful humanitarian situation."
A day before his death, he sent several messages to the world through a speech read by one of his aides, calling for "a ceasefire, the release of prisoners, and aid to a starving people yearning for a peaceful future."
The newspaper quoted an Israeli diplomat in the WhatsApp group (whose identity was not disclosed) as saying, "We deleted a simple, innocent tweet expressing our condolences, clearly because of the Pope's criticism of Israel before his death." A senior Foreign Ministry official commented, "Israel responded to the Pope's statements during his lifetime, but will not do so after his death out of respect for the feelings of his followers."
Haaretz added that these measures have exacerbated the already tense relations between Israel and the Vatican, which have been simmering since the start of the aggression on Gaza. The Vatican has repeatedly expressed concern over the escalating crimes against Palestinians, considering the situation to bear "the hallmarks of genocide."
On December 22, 2024, during a Christmas meeting with members of his cabinet, Pope Francis said of the Israeli aggression: “This is not war, but brutality. I want to say this because it breaks the heart.”