POPE FRANCIS’ DEATH – Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican: “I have always felt welcome, now let’s continue the dialogue”

Yaron Sideman, Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See since September, is among those who had the opportunity to know Pope Francis closely and to discuss many sensitive topics with him. “I will remember him as a kind man, humble and affable, driven by a determination to do good for the humanity and the environment,” he told Pagine Ebraiche. “He also had a healthy sense of humor, which I greatly admired. It was an honor and a privilege to get to know him personally,” he added.
His most vivid memory of meeting the Pope, he said, “is his smile: at every meeting he greeted me with a big smile and made me feel welcome.” It is no secret that after the October 7 attack and the ensuing war in Gaza, relations between Israel and the Holy See have at times been marked by tension. New wounds have opened in the dialogue, but Ambassador Sideman is confident that they can be repaired. “After all, we share and support the same values of human freedom, dignity, compassion and respect.” According to Sideman, “by committing ourselves to a dialogue based on these values, we will discover and enhance our common goals and objectives a, working together to realize Pope Francis’ vision of human brotherhood.”