Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 09:49pm on 17 Nov 2023,Friday International
Pope Francis will separately meet next week with relatives of hostages held by Hamas and a delegation of Palestinians with family in Gaza, the Vatican confirmed on Friday. The meetings on Wednesday are "exclusively humanitarian" to show the Pope's spiritual closeness to suffering on both sides, said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. Earlier reports said 12 relatives of Israeli hostages will meet the Pope before his general audience. The Palestinian meeting is seen as a humanitarian gesture by the Pope to hear grievances from both sides.The humanitarian meetings come amid ongoing tensions between Israel and Hamas.
