Shireen Abu Akleh's family, Palestinian journalist shot dead by Israel, to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican

Shireen Abu Akleh's family, Palestinian journalist shot dead by Israel, to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican
Shireen Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Melkite Catholic and veteran Palestinian journalist, was shot dead by Israeli forces as she covered a military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank in May.
3 min read
25 October, 2022
Veteran Palestinian American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was a Melkite Catholic [HAZEM BADER/AFP/Getty-file photo]

Shireen Abu Akleh's family is travelling to the Vatican at Pope Francis's invitation, nearly six months after the Palestinian journalist was shot dead by Israeli forces.

A mass is to be held in Rome on Wednesday in honour of the slain Palestinian American reporter.

Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Melkite Catholic and veteran Al Jazeera journalist, was shot dead by Israeli forces as she covered a military raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank in May.

Her niece Lina tweeted on Tuesday: "My family and I are on our way to the Vatican at the invitation of Pope Francis… for a meeting about my aunt Shireen Abu Akleh and our family's push for justice.

"People of conscience around the world continue to echo our calls for accountability and #JusticeForShireen."

Abu Akleh's relatives will meet Pope Francis himself, according to the Catholic news website Crux Now.

On Monday, Lina tweeted a screenshot of an invitation to a memorial mass for Abu Akleh at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin in Rome.

The invitation to the mass, which is set to take place on Wednesday at 5pm (3pm GMT), was from the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and the Presidential Higher Committee for Churches Affairs in Palestine.

Lina said: "A memorial mass will be held for #ShireenAbuAkleh in Rome this upcoming Wednesday. If you happen to be there, please join us."

Envoys to the Holy See, representatives of the Vatican, and Arab envoys to neighbouring Italy will be among those attending the memorial mass.

Horrific scenes of Israeli violence were broadcast during Abu Akleh's funeral in East Jerusalem on 13 May, two days after she was killed.

Israeli police assaulted pallbearers bringing the journalist's body from a hospital, almost causing them to drop the casket.

"This is unbelievable, unbelievable. Oh my God. Such disrespect for the dead and for those who are mourning the dead," said Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara at the time.

Perspectives

Israel's military in September said there was a "high possibility" Abu Akleh "was accidentally hit by [army] gunfire".

Lina tweeted a response from the family which said the Israeli military was trying to "obscure the truth and avoid responsibility" for the killing of Shireen.

"As expected, Israel has refused to take responsibility for murdering Shireen," the family responded and called for a full investigation and trial by the International Criminal Court.

Later in September, lawyers submitted a complaint over Abu Akleh's killing to the ICC.