(LifeSiteNews) — In the wake of the Israeli army’s bombing of the only Catholic church in Gaza on Thursday, Pope Leo XIV spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone on Friday. He urged the Israeli leader to end hostilities, allow a swift solution to the humanitarian disaster unfolding in the strip, and maintain respect for places of worship.
At around 10:20 a.m. local time on Thursday, the Holy Family Catholic Church compound “was struck by the Israeli army” killing at least three and injuring 10 others, “including one in critical condition and two in serious condition,” according to a Thursday statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
One of the injuries included Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, who with Missionaries of Charity sisters has been serving the approximately 600 Gazans sheltering in the facility, including many children around 50 of whom have disabilities.
The morning call was reportedly initiated by Netanyahu to the pope’s summer residence at Castel Gandolfo with a Vatican press release stating the pontiff urged the Israeli leader to revive negotiations and establish a ceasefire.
“During the conversation, the Holy Father renewed his call for negotiation efforts, for a ceasefire and an end to the war,” the communique said.
“He again expressed his concern for the tragic humanitarian situation of the people in Gaza, a heartbreaking price being paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick,” the call summary continued.
“Finally, His Holiness reiterated the urgent need to protect places of worship and, especially, the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel,” the release concluded.
Pope pledges ‘to do everything possible’ to achieve ‘an end to this tragedy’
On Friday, Pope Leo also called Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, telling him, “It is time to stop this slaughter,” as reported by Vatican News.
Pizzaballa was entering the Gaza Strip with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem leading an ecclesial delegation with hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid, including food supplies, first aid kits and desperately needed medical equipment, when Pope Leo’s call came in.
زيارة تضامنية تاريخية لغبطة الكاردينال بيتسابالا وغبطة البطريرك ثيوفيلوس الثالث إلى كنيسة العائلة المقدسة في غزة
Historic Solidarity Visit of Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III to the Holy Family Church in Gaza pic.twitter.com/C7EBm2atyl— Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (@LPJerusalem) July 18, 2025
The Holy Father expressed “his closeness, care, prayer, support, and desire to do everything possible to achieve not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy,” Pizzaballa said.
“Pope Leo repeatedly stated that it is time to stop this slaughter, that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims,” the Patriarch reported.
Pizzaballa in turn expressed gratitude to the pontiff for “his solidarity and the prayers he had already assured us of,” on behalf of all the Churches of the Holy Land including the Catholic community of Gaza.
Holy Land bishops: ‘In unyielding unity, we strongly denounce this crime’
A statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem shared the mission of the ecclesial delegation — headed by the Catholic and Greek Orthodox patriarchs — was to “stand alongside those affected by the recent events.” Additionally, they intended to meet with members of the local Christian community” and offer them their “condolences and solidarity.”
The communiqué also highlighted that the essential humanitarian assistance from their mission was intended “not only to the Christian Community but also to as many families as possible,” and the Patriarchate “ensured the evacuation of individuals injured in the attack to medical institutions outside Gaza where they will receive care.”
READ: Jewish pundit says supporters of ‘what Israel’s doing in Gaza’ can never ‘claim to be pro-life’
An additional Friday statement from the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, the body consisting of bishops from several Catholic and Orthodox rites, as well as Anglican and Lutheran communities, affirmed that “we bear witness to the heinous attack by the Israeli Army on the church compound” in Gaza the previous day.
“In unyielding unity, we strongly denounce this crime. Houses of worship are sacred spaces that should be kept safe. They are also protected under international law,” the Holy Land prelates admonished. Such targeting “is a violation of these laws” and “an affront to human dignity, a trampling upon the sanctity of human life, and the desecration of a holy site.”
These prelates continued by calling upon “world leaders and United Nations agencies to work towards an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that leads to an end of this war. We also implore them to guarantee the protection of all religious and humanitarian sites, and to provide for the relief of the starving masses throughout the Gaza Strip.”
“Our prayers and support remain steadfast, calling for justice, peace, and the cessation of the suffering that has descended upon the people of Gaza,” they concluded.
Vatican has many tools at its disposal to intervene: theology professor
Considering the options Church officials may have to assist in bringing the genocidal tragedy in Gaza to an end, Christendom College theology professor Dr. Matthew Tsakanikas told LifeSiteNews that “the Vatican has many tools at its disposal to intervene for Palestinian Christians and all Palestinians:
- its Secretary of State can lobby ambassadors to restore sanctions on settlers which Trump removed;
- following Benedict XVI’s writings, the Pope should write an encyclical condemning theological Zionism that conflates God’s Old Testament promises of land with the 1948 founding of the state of Israel;
- the Pope can develop greater solidarity of Western Catholics with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and his statements on the situation in the Holy Land, and
- push harder for the two-State solution since the Vatican already recognized the state of Palestine.”
Tsakanikas has studied and written extensively on this issue from historical, moral, political and theological aspects, with multiple articles addressing these topics available on the LifeSiteNews website.
A documented genocide, conservative estimates of over 293,000 dead
As Israel continues to massacre and starve Palestinian civilians on a daily basis, reliable reports of Palestinian deaths number at least 58,667, including 17,400 children, at a confirmed minimum, with at least 139,974 people injured, including over 10,000 children who have lost at least one leg. These dead do not include around 14,000 who are missing and presumed dead and buried under the rubble.
READ: Gaza releases names of 15,000+ children killed by Israel since October 2023
According to a rationale presented in a Lancet study in July 2024, one can conservatively estimate total deaths, including indirect fatalities due to causes like starvation, lack of medicine or proper medical care, to include 293,335 (129,067 children).
Last December, advocacy groups Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International released extensive reports concluding Israeli authorities were deliberately seeking to bring about the destruction of the people of Gaza by various means, including the deprivation of necessities like water, food, energy and medical care, amounting to crimes of genocide.
READ Genocide ‘only reasonable conclusion’ to Israel’s crimes in Gaza: Amnesty International
Additionally, in January 2024, the International Court of Justice delivered a preliminary ruling. finding the charge of genocide against Israel to be “plausible,” and last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes,” including “starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
READ: Censored documentary connects Netanyahu’s indictments with massive bloodshed in Gaza
Closing its Friday press statement, the Latin Patriarchate assured that their Archdiocese “remains steadfast in its commitment to the Christian community and the entire population of Gaza. They will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned.”
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