At least three people died on Thursday due to an attack launched by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) against the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, the only one existing in the Palestinian enclave. This led Pope Leo XIV to call for a ceasefire amid Israel’s offensive.
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The Civil Defense of Gaza pointed out that there were about 400 displaced people in the church who had sought refuge in the facilities before the attack, while the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed that among the injured is Father Gabriel Romanelli, close to the late Pope Francis.
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“The church has suffered damage,” they stated in a statement published on their Facebook account, after which the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, emphasized that the site was hit by a tank shell. “The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say it was a mistake, but we are not sure about that. The church was directly hit,” Pizzaballa said, as reported by Vatican News.
What did Pope Leo XIV say about the attack on a Catholic church in Gaza?
Pope Leo XIV expressed his “deep sadness” over the “loss of lives and the injured as a result of the military attack” on the church and made a new call for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, according to a telegram published by the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.
The pontiff conveyed to Romanelli and “the entire Christian community” in the Palestinian enclave his “spiritual closeness,” while expressing his “deep hope” for “dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace in the region,” according to the telegram collected by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem on Facebook.
Caritas Jerusalem specified that the incident took place around 10:10 am (local time) and detailed that the location was a “sanctuary for displaced civilians”. “The explosion occurred near the cross on the roof of the church, spreading shrapnel and debris throughout the courtyard,” they stated in a Facebook post.
Caritas also reported that Father Romanelli had asked people to remain inside their rooms due to the attacks in the surrounding area and because yesterday they noticed the presence of Israeli tanks near the church complex.
Harsh criticism from the Prime Minister of Italy against Israel
The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, denounced that “the Israeli bombings in Gaza have affected the Church of the Holy Family” and that “the attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify this attitude,” she stated on her social media account X.
The Israeli Army pointed out in a message on its X account that “it is aware of the reports of damage caused to the Church of the Holy Family in the city of Gaza and of victims at the site,” before ensuring that the incident is being investigated.
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are making every possible effort to minimize harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regret any damage caused to them,” they added in the statement.