Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the victims of the Gaza parish strike. The Pope specifically mentioned the victims by name during his prayers. He reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict.
5 months ago
Pope Leo XIV publicly prayed by name for the victims of a deadly Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza City, expressing profound sadness and decrying the "barbarism of the war" 2 3. During his Angelus address from Castel Gandolfo, he renewed his call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire 1 2 3. The Pope specifically named the three Christians killed in the July 17 attack: Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud, extending his closeness to their families and parishioners 2 3.
The Israeli strike on July 17 wounded nine others, including the local parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli 2 3. The Holy Family Church had been serving as a shelter for over 600 people, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims, since the conflict began in October 2023 2 3. According to Caritas Jerusalem, two of the victims, Salameh (60, parish caretaker) and Ayyad (84), were struck by shrapnel and debris outside the main building and died later due to a severe shortage of medical resources in Gaza 2 3. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged responsibility, stating that "fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly" 2 3.
Pope Leo XIV reiterated his appeal to the international community to uphold humanitarian law, protect civilians, and prohibit collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force, and forced displacement of populations 2 3. Following the attack, the Pope sent a telegram lamenting the loss of life and injuries, and he later spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging the reactivation of peace negotiations 2 3. During this call, the Pope emphasized his concern for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, noting the "heartbreaking price" paid by children, the elderly, and the sick 2 3.
The July 17 attack drew swift condemnation from Church leaders 2 3. On the day after the strike, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III visited Gaza to offer spiritual, moral, and material comfort 2 3. Pope Leo XIV also offered a message of solidarity to all Christians in the Middle East, assuring them of the Pope's and the Church's deep sympathy and prayers, entrusting them to the Virgin Mary 2 3.
How does the Church respond to violence against innocents?
The Catholic Church unequivocally condemns violence against innocent human beings, considering it a grave moral evil that is always contrary to God's law and human dignity . This condemnation applies universally, without exception or privilege, to all innocent persons, regardless of their stage of life or condition .
The Church's condemnation of violence against innocents extends to various forms:
The Church's Magisterium, particularly the Papal Magisterium and the Bishops, has consistently and frequently spoken out in defense of the sacredness and inviolability of human life, especially in response to the weakening sense of the grave moral illicitness of directly taking innocent human life . The Second Vatican Council also forcefully condemned crimes and attacks against human life .
In summary, the Church's response to violence against innocents is one of absolute condemnation, rooted in the belief that all innocent human life is sacred and inviolable, and that any direct taking of such life is an intrinsically evil act that gravely offends God and human dignity .