Pope Leo XIV requested from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the protection of “places of worship, as well as of believers and all people in Palestine and Israel” following Thursday’s attack by the Israeli Armed Forces on the Holy Family Church in Gaza, the only Catholic parish in the enclave, which left three people dead and several seriously injured.
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In turn, during the phone conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister, the pontiff once again called for an end to the war.
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Pope Leo XIV and Netanyahu spoke on the phone
According to the Press Office of the Holy See, the pope received a phone call from Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday morning at the Castel Gandolfo residence, following the military attack carried out by the Israeli army.
During the conversation, Pope Leo XIV insisted on the need to reinvigorate negotiation efforts, with the aim of achieving a ceasefire and putting an end to the war. Additionally, the pontiff also reiterated his “deep concern for the dramatic humanitarian situation that the population in Gaza is experiencing, a suffering that particularly affects children, the elderly, and the sick.”
According to Netanyahu’s office in a subsequent statement, the Prime Minister expressed to the Pope his regret for an incident that he described as “accidental” and explained to Leo XIV that it was due to a projectile that veered off its target.
“The Prime Minister expressed Israel’s regret for the tragic incident in which stray ammunition accidentally hit the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza,” the Prime Minister’s office announced, also conveying “Israel’s deepest condolences to the families of those injured in the incident.”
However, in a statement published on Thursday, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said that “the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say it was a mistake, but we are not sure. The church has been directly hit.”
Netanyahu also informed the Pope of Israel’s efforts to “achieve a hostage release agreement and a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza” before accusing the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas of “not reciprocating” Israel’s attempts.
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem visited Gaza
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Orthodox Patriarch, Theophilus III, entered the Gaza Strip on Friday to visit the enclave’s only Catholic church after the attack carried out by Israeli troops against the building on Thursday.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem stated in a press release that the visit takes place following “the serious attack” against the Church of the Holy Family, located in the city of Gaza, expressing “the shared pastoral request of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the Gaza community”.
They also added that Pizzaballa “will personally analyze the humanitarian and pastoral needs of the community to help guide the continued presence and response of the Church.”