In the wake of a deadly attack on Gaza’s only Catholic church, Pope Leo XIV received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, July 18. The call came just one day after an Israeli army projectile struck Holy Family Parish, a sanctuary that had become a refuge for more than 600 people amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father received the call while on vacation at Castel Gandolfo. The attack on July 17 killed three individuals and injured several others, some seriously.
During the conversation, Pope Leo renewed his appeal for peace, calling for “the urgent reactivation of the negotiation process in order to establish a ceasefire and end the war,” according to the Holy See Press Office. He also expressed profound concern for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying the “heartbreaking price is being paid, in particular, by children, the elderly, and the sick.”
Pope Leo XIV strongly emphasized the need to safeguard places of worship and the dignity of all people living in the region. “He reiterated the urgency of protecting places of worship and, above all, the faithful and all people living in both Palestine and Israel,” according to the Holy See Press Office.
Later that same day, the pope personally called Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. In a powerful statement, the pope condemned the violence and declared: “It is time to stop this slaughter,” according to the Holy See.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged the incident, stating that “fragments of a projectile fired during a military operation in the area mistakenly hit the church” and noted that “the cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
Holy Family Parish has served as a spiritual and humanitarian haven for the Catholic faithful in Gaza. Since the outbreak of war in October 2023, it has offered shelter to hundreds seeking safety from the ongoing conflict. The attack on this sacred place not only claimed lives but further deepened the suffering of an already devastated community.
The pope’s latest remarks echo a consistent message from the Vatican: that peace, human dignity, and the sanctity of life must be protected in the midst of war. As the violence escalates, his plea stands as a moral summons to the world: to protect the innocent, to uphold sacred spaces, and to work urgently toward peace.
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