Pope calls for investigation into whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Will it change anything? [Video]

In a new book, Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza constitutes a genocide, sparking intense debate about the war — and also raising questions about the tangible impact that papal statements have on Catholics and global politics.

The remarks were reported in the book, Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims Toward a Better World, published this week by journalist Hernán Reyes Alcaide. They represent the Pope’s first public push for an investigation into Israel’s war against Hamas, which has killed some 44,000 Palestinians over the past 13 months, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. 

“Some experts say what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” the Pope told Alcaide. “We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”

The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines genocide as actions aimed at destroying, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, …