Pierbattista Pizzaballa, man of peace in the war zone

The Italian from a rural environment of Lombardy is tried young for a papabile: 60, which can be a handicap. But he is noticed for his probity, his courage, for the gestures he has taken since October 7, 2023. This same month, he offered to be taken hostage in exchange for the release of Israeli children detained in Gaza. Last year, in the middle of the Israeli offensive, he went there to meet and provide help to the small Catholic community which survives in the besieged enclave.

During his thirty-five years in Jerusalem, in different functions, notably that of Custode of the Holy Land (guardian of the Holy Places), then apostolic administrator before being appointed by François in 2020 Patriarch, this Franciscan who speaks perfectly Hebrew and trained among others at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was respected by leading a demanding Judeo-Christian dialogue. Which is all except obvious, while the Church is often accused in Israel of a pro-Palestinian bias.

“An exceptionally brilliant and good person,” said Rabbi David Rosen, an advisor for interconfessional relations with the Grand Rabbinat. It was Bishop Pizzaballa who organized in 2014 the prayer for the peace of the Pope, President Shimon Peres and the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, in the Vatican.

In an interview with the KTO channel, carried out before the death of the Pope, the Cardinal evoked the network of Catholic institutions – schools, hospitals, hospices. “Open to everyone,” he insisted, stressing that their density was not proportional to the reduced number of Christians. With Muslims and Jews, “we do not make abstract dialogue. The real dialogue is born from living together”.

Given this way of seeing and acting, François decided to give him the bar, although the Latin patriarchy is not traditionally a cardinal siege. A gesture of deep esteem for this very exposed prelate for a year and a half.

Also close to Jorge Bergoglio in his approach to conflict resolution, his conception of a stripped church inspired by François d’Assise, in the protection of migrants and refugees, Pierbattista Pizzaballa has another asset (even if being Italian can handicap it): it is not considered as a “ideologist” of a given camp and could therefore bring together votes.

In a conclave, it may be an asset of not having taken any clear positions on these subjects of doctrine or society which creates fractures between the cardinals. In the middle of the turmoil of a war, he must position himself and face existential situations. In doing so, he remained relatively away, without disinterested in it, great orientation conflicts of the 21st century Church. Which can be in conclave perceived as a good point.