Pope Leo appeals for end to Gaza 'barbarity'

Shattered roof of Holy Family church

Source: Vatican Media

Pope Leo XIV has expressed his "deep sorrow" over the recent Israeli attack on the Catholic parish in Gaza, and called for "an immediate halt to the barbarity" in the Strip.

After the Holy Family church was struck on Thursday morning, three of the approximately 600 Gazans sheltering there were killed, and several others, including the parish priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli, were injured.

Speaking on Sunday after praying the Angelus with pilgrims at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, the Pope named the three victims - Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud - and said he was "close" to them and their families.

Pope Leo then stressed that the attack "is just one of the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza".

The Pope appealed for "an immediate halt to the barbarity of the war" and for "a peaceful resolution of the conflict". He urged the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, "as well as the prohibition against collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population".

Pope Leo brought his appeal to a close with a message to "our beloved" Christian communities in the Middle East, saying he understood they felt they could "do little, in the face of this tragic situation".

"You are in the heart of the Pope and of the whole Church," he said. "Thank you for your witness of faith."

Earlier in the day, speaking to journalists as he returned from celebrating Mass in the nearby town of Albano, Pope Leo stressed the need to "pray for peace, and try to convince all parties to come to the table, to dialogue and to lay down their weapons".

"The world can't take it any more", the Pope said. "There is so much conflict, so many wars".

Pope Leo was then asked about his phone conversation on Friday with Benjamin Netanyahu, during which he urged a "renewed push" for an end to the conflict, and lamented the "agonizing price" being paid by Gaza's civilians.

"We insisted on the need to protect the sacred places of all religions," Pope Leo said, "and to respect people and sacred places and try to leave behind all the violence and the hatred".