German bishop Btzing criticizes pope over Ukraine and Israel stance – Yahoo News

The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Btzing, has criticized Pope Francis' stance on the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza as not being clear enough.

"Yes, I too am sometimes puzzled by this art of equidistance," Btzing told the Sddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

Although Btzing said that he is aware the Vatican is keen to keep all channels of dialogue open, there are situations in which such restraint is not appropriate, the Catholic bishop said.

"When I think of Ukraine and [the Hamas attacks on] October 7, I think the criticism of the Holy Father is justified: He does not speak clearly enough about who the attacker was and where the causes of this horrific suffering lie," he said.

On October 7, Hamas militants and other extremist groups carried out the worst massacre in Israel's history. About 1,200 people were killed and another 240 were taken hostage, some of whom were released during a brief truce.

Israel has since launched massive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, followed by a ground offensive that began in late October, in which more than 20,000 Palestinians are said to have been killed so far.

Btzing also reiterated his stance on Germany's right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

"Being Catholic and an AfD supporter at the same time does not go together for me," he said.

The growing strength of the far-right AfD in Germany, which has traditionally been on the fringes of German politics, has raised alarm among many who view the party as extremist, anti-democratic and xenophobic.

Read the original post:

German bishop Btzing criticizes pope over Ukraine and Israel stance - Yahoo News