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Cardinal Pizzaballa Emerges as Papal Contender
Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, is considered a leading candidate to succeed Pope Francis. The conclave to elect the new leader of the world’s 1 billion Catholics begins Wednesday in Rome.
Elevated to cardinal by Pope Francis in September 2023, Pizzaballa gained international attention the following month when he offered himself as a hostage to Hamas in exchange for the release of children kidnapped during the terrorist group’s attack on Israel. This act followed his declaration that he would do “anything” to secure the children’s freedom.
Born in 1965 in northern Italy, Cardinal Pizzaballa has described his upbringing in the village of Castel Liteggio as idyllic, shaped by the simple rhythms of rural life. This upbringing, he has said, instilled in him values of “sobriety and sincerity.”
The first cardinal to reside in the Jewish state, Pizzaballa is known for his fluency in Hebrew and is highly regarded by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Herzog has praised the Cardinal as a brilliant leader with a deep understanding of the region’s complexities.
Despite this respect, Pizzaballa faced criticism in Israel for signing a statement urging restraint during the conflict with Hamas. While the statement called for avoiding civilian casualties, some felt it did not sufficiently condemn Hamas’s atrocities. Pizzaballa later clarified his position, denouncing the attacks as “unacceptable and incomprehensible barbarity.”