In a Facebook post, Mohamad, also known as Mat Sabu, said Francis, who passed away on Monday, stood by the Palestinians while Arab leaders chose to remain silent and collude with those oppressing the community.
Separately, he also hailed the late pontiff’s commitment to peace and his condemnation of the genocide perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.
He said Francis’s stand on the matter contrasted with that of other world leaders who prioritised political power over humanity.
“Religious leaders should not become doormats to governments that have lost their sense of humanity,” he told FMT when met at the St John’s Cathedral, here.
Mohamad was part of a delegation led by the Secretariat of Solidarity for Palestine, a pro-Palestinian group, who paid tribute to Francis.
He said the calls for peace by many world leaders were merely lip service as they were focused on “political hegemony”.
“But Pope Francis’s call for peace and his condemnation of genocide came from a pure heart, showing us that peace and humanity are values that transcend religion. This is something that I deeply respected him for,” he said.
Mohamad, who is also the agriculture and food security minister, said the death of Pope Francis, whose humility and sense of justice was profound, was a great loss not just for Catholics, but for the world.
He also lamented that Malaysians tended to view the plight of the Palestinians as a religious issue.
Tian Chua, the spokesman for SSP, expressed a similar view, noting Pope Francis’s dedication to social justice, especially his vocal support for Palestine.
“He didn’t stop at condemning violence and calls for Palestinian statehood, but went all the way to have regular communication with the churches under attack in Gaza.
“He even dedicated his dying breath to them, which was most touching,” the former Batu MP said.
Tian Chua said he was disappointed that local media did not often cover the Pope’s statements, including his Easter sermon, delivered hours before his passing, in which he reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
In his Easter message, Francis also said that the situation in Gaza was “dramatic and deplorable”.
In January, Francis ramped up criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, calling the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave “very serious and shameful”.
Francis passed away on April 21 after a stroke and subsequent heart failure, hours after delivering the traditional Easter blessing from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.
He had spent five consecutive weeks in hospital with double pneumonia in February and March.