Pope Francis visited the Holy Land in 2014. A defining image of his trip came at an unscheduled stop off in Bethlehem when he prayed for peace by the graffitied wall that forms part of Israel's West Bank barrier. On Sunday in his Easter message, his last public appearance, he was again calling for peace and a ceasefire in Gaza. With his words read by an aide, he said: "The terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation.'' "War is not just weapons. War is sometimes words," the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said when I asked him about the Pope's final address. He said the Pope had a moral clarity. "Pope Francis recently, especially in the last year, has been very outspoken about the situation of the Holy Land, calling for the liberation of the hostages, but also condemning the dramatic situation, the ongoing war in Gaza and the situation for Palestinians," the cardinal said. Israeli media has noted that while President Isaac Herzog expressed condolences to the Catholic world, there were not similar comments from the prime minister or foreign minister as would have been expected - widely attributed to the Pope's strong positions against the Gaza war. Some of his most explicit criticism of Israel came late last year when excerpts of an upcoming book were published. "According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide," Pope Francis wrote. "It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies." Israel firmly rejects allegations of genocide in Gaza and says its war goal is to defeat Hamas. As a conclave gets under way in Rome this week to decide Pope Francis's successor, Palestinians and Israelis will be watching closely to see what the next Pope has to say about their intractable conflict. Christians in Gaza say they hope that whoever is chosen will be pushing for peace.