He made nightly phonecalls to Christians in Gaza, praying for an end to the oppression of the whole community. Most notably, last November, Francis called out Israel for its disproportionate response to Hamas’ brutal attack of October 2023, and suggested to the international community that Israel’s military offensive should be classed as genocide. (Perhaps this explains why the state of Israel was so tardy in offering condolences on his passing — three days after his death — and why senior Israeli representation was noticeable by its absence at his funeral.) Since the powers that be seem unable or unwilling to rein in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, it is up to ordinary people to condemn the excessive Israeli force in Gaza and the West Bank, the total lack of respect for civilian lives, and the cruel blockage of essential aid into Palestine. (Also, how are the unfortunate remaining hostages expected to survive with no food and constant bombardment of the territory? Such draconian Israeli actions are very much at odds with Netanyahu’s declared mission to bring them back home safely.) It is wrong for Israel to be allowed to act with impunity, killing more than 52,000 Palestinians to avenge the 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas, and it is disgraceful that the United States (supposedly the “good guys”) are allowing— and indeed encouraging — the total destruction of Gaza, now being cleared of its smouldering rubble and leaving its Arab population homeless, broken, and destitute. US president Donald Trump has at least one thing in common with the late pontiff: He too has called for peace in the Middle East. The difference is that Francis had the wisdom to know that peace flourishes where there is justice, not opportunistic real estate deals and ethnic cleansing land grabs. In the spirit of Pope Francis and with whatever voice we have, let us advocate for justice in Palestine — that troubled land sacred not only to Christians but also to Muslims and Jewish people alike. Sinéad Boland, Co Wicklow Oxymoron oddity I was recently reminded of our propensity for inherently contradictory compliments which international colleagues, with whom I worked, just couldn’t fathom, and which I gave up on explaining. These include: “Isn’t he terrible quiet”, “that’s woeful nice of you”, and referring to a new bride as “she was fierce beautiful altogether”. Michael Gannon, Saint Thomas Sq, Kilkenny City Architectural atrocities in Cork The design of some recent buildings in Cork raises questions about architectural standards. The Moxy/Residence Inn displays no fewer than nine different colours on its front edifice from top to bottom. None of these (except for the vague ridge tile line) blend with the adjacent buildings or with itself. The beautiful and distinctive arches of the much older lower part of the hotel were totally ignored in the new design, as evidenced by the emphasis on the rectangular or square-box design of the entire upper section. Why weren’t arches, instead of squares, included in the concrete decorative feature? This — when viewed from Emmet Place especially — gives it a chunky, uninspiring, and unimaginative appearance, and is incongruent with both the street-side edifice and all the other beautiful red-brick buildings along Camden Quay terrace. The Residence Inn looks quite attractive at night, however, due to the mish-mash pastiche of colours being hidden behind the lighting. The colour scheme, at least, could still be rectified if given to the right people. JP Morley, Lee Rd, Cork