Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, an American missionary from Chicago who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops, was elected the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.
The 267th pope, who has taken the name Leo XIV, emerged from the balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica. He waved to the thousands in the square as they cheered and chanted his name.
For the Jewish world, particularly in Eretz Yisroel, his rise comes at a time of tense relations between the Vatican and the State of Israel.
The new pope has not yet made any public comments regarding the Jewish people, the State of Israel, or the horrific October 7th massacre. Observers are now watching to see whether he will continue the anti-Israel tone adopted by his predecessor, Pope Francis, or chart a different course.
Just months ago, during Israel’s war against the Hamas terror regime in Gaza, Pope Francis delivered a sermon that caused shock and dismay across the Jewish world. “Children were bombed. This is cruelty; this is not war,” Francis declared. His use of the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s military actions was met with condemnation by Israeli officials, who noted the Vatican’s silence following Hamas’s savage rampage on Simchas Torah.
When Francis died, Israel’s Foreign Ministry briefly posted, then deleted, a message of condolence after the pope’s passing. No senior Israeli officials attended his funeral.
With Pope Leo XIV now at the helm of the Catholic world, many in Israel are hopeful for a more balanced and historically conscious approach. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu extended cautious congratulations, saying: “Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV and the global Catholic community. I wish the first American pope success in fostering hope and reconciliation among all religions.”
Below is audio of Harav Mordechai Gifter zt”l, commenting on a group of Jews that met with a previous pope.
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21 Responses
Shame on you YWN for posting a picture with a Shesi Vearev and for announcing this “exiting news” in the first place.
Why is this on this website? Who cares!
are the guitars all tuned up so they can sing ‘oirech yomim to him as well?
I was waiting for these comments.
We don’t live in high walled Ghettos.
The outside world affects us (like it or not). There are 1.4 Billion Catholics that look up to him as their leader & follow his lead. He is a powerful leader on the world stage.
It’s very close minded & naive to think a new pope & how he may affect us is “Who cares!”
Unmitigated Chutzpah of you YWN for using such a Gadol as your
כשר חזיר פיסעל
Do you really think he would condone or agree to you using his speech in order to cover up for posting the
אבי אבות הטומאה as he calls it?
@Citdo I do share your sentiment, but you should though keep in mind that this new Pope will reach 1,2 billion people the world over. So quite significant who becomes pope.
You post sound bite from Harav Gifter, zt”l. Did you listen to it? Why are you wasting precious time on the אבי אבות חתומה . Multiply the number of readers reading this by the one to two minutes it take to read the post. The Yeshiva World is guilty.
What a shame bum! Posting news of the head of Christianity who they murdered thousands and thousands of our people let along the fact you’re posting him together with R Eli Stefansky on one page.. are you going to post schedule for services in the cathedral so everybody can pray with this heretic pope ? Taking it down it’s nice. It’s not you. That’s not yeshiva news , who ever wants to read this garbage should go to the New York times.
to quote a very old, worn cliché: “is this good for the jews?”
Only really matters his position on Israel and the fake Palestinians, since the head of the snake is what influences. Otherwise I don’t see why anyone else would care to acknowledge that avoda zara has a new chief
This only happened because Donald Trump is USA President.
If Kamala Harris would be President now (G*D forbid),
the new pope would not be an American citizen.
YWN should post information on the new Pope that is relevant? What has he said or done affecting Jews? How anti-Israel has be been in the past? Does his choice of name suggest a support of the anti-Semitic positions supported (or at least, tolerated) by the previous pope name “Leo” (who was in office during the late 19th and early 20th century, an era that saw the Dreyfus Affair and an increase in anti-Jewish violence in Europe).
I am Frum Only Because of Sadik VeGaon HaRav Gifter ztl.
His words are passinate and gold.
Through the RAT Lines the pop and the church facilitated the fleeing SS and Natzis to South and North America.
YWN has lost its balance.
This content is not “Yeshiva World News”! What are you thinking?!
Why so stubborn ?? Just take of this garbage !!
Hey, Pres Trump not just installed 3 Justices, he also appointed an american pope!
This was the יצר-הרע rearing its ugly head to distract the world from the only item the world should have been focused on for today:- 8 Decades since the end of WW2:- or has the world decided to commemorate this all important historical fact on the Hebrew date of כ”ה אייר?
To all that commented that the pope has an influence on 1.2 billion Catholics. This In fact has no reality. Can anybody recall a comment or an order made by a pope that Catholics obeyed ?????
YWN. The time has come that you either change you name from “Yeshiva” world news to “University” world news. We until now had גילוי עריות with the un appropriate Images of women and we now have עבודה זרה. According to halacha one may not even mention the name of a עבודה זרה but you publish this article with a picture of a shesi v’ieiruv.
*****NEWSFLASH****
There is nothign wrong with YWn posting the pope. All you styupid peleg anti wzo lowlifes sending in these commentss. Your own holy BMG has a leader of the Yeshiva who he himself sang Carlebach’s “אורך ימים” to which the pope began swaying. Apparnatly, Rav malkiuel Kotler and Rav Aharon Feldman approve of that, so stop bashing YWN. Tehre is nothign wrong with this article.
Wanna see video? Click on this link where ywn posted it https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2389920/liberal-pope-francis-has-died-repeatedly-called-for-genocide-investigation-into-israel.html
To Ferd:
ENGLISH, please!
Is he related to the Prevost coach bus manufacturer?