Pope Leo XIV on Friday called Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to express solidarity. An Israeli strike on Gaza’s Holy Family Catholic Church killed three people and wounded ten others.
The Vatican described the attack, which took place on Thursday, as “unjustifiable.” The dead included members of the small Catholic community sheltering at the church; the only Catholic parish in Gaza.
Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, was among those injured. He received a phone call of support from both Pope Leo and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Leo’s call came as Pizzaballa visited the bombed site alongside Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III. According to the Vatican, the Pope “expressed his support and affection to the entire community gathered around the parish and to those suffering from the violence,” and reiterated his determination “to do everything possible so that the needless slaughter of innocents is stopped.”
On Thursday, Pope Leo also renewed his call for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza. He also voiced his “profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation, and enduring peace in the region.”
Before his death in April, Pope Francis had kept in close contact with Father Romanelli. He reportedly spoke with him almost daily from the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.
The Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) also reacted to the strike, expressing “pain” over the deaths. In a statement, UCEI said: “The church is a place of worship and prayer, a space all the more essential in a context deeply marked by a long, lacerating conflict.” It added, “The respect and protection of religious places, of whatever faith they are, is fundamental for coexistence, human dignity and the hope for peace.”
Foreign Minister Tajani also spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar, calling the situation “intolerable.” According to the foreign ministry, he reiterated Italy’s full condemnation of the strike and called for immediate clarity on who was responsible. Tajani underlined the urgent need for a ceasefire to prevent further civilian suffering.
