The leader of the world’s 1 billion Roman Catholics addressed past scandals and embraced migrants, the poor and gay and lesbian faithful. Some wished he’d gone further.

How the late Pope reacted to the aftermath of October 7th was different from the coldness coming from many world leaders and politicians. He called for a ceasefire very quickly. He spoke out about the atrocities and alleged war crimes in Gaza and showed a kindness towards Palestinians that was rare for such a global figure.