Catholic Leaders Visit Bombed Church in Gaza

Two of the church's highest leaders in Jerusalem are visiting the church in Gaza City which on Thursday was hit by an Israeli attack.

» Published: July 18 2025 at 13:38

Catholic Leaders Visit Bombed Church in Gaza
Photo: Jehad Alshrafi/AP/TT

Share this article

During the attack, two women were killed and the priest Gabriel Romanelli was injured.

The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, are leading a "church delegation" to meet local Christians in Gaza, the churches said in a statement.

The visit is very unusual. Israel strictly controls all access to the Gaza Strip.

According to Israel, the attack on the church was a mistake. In a statement from the Prime Minister's office, Benjamin Netanyahu regrets "that the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza was hit by mistake.”

On Friday, the Vatican stated that Pope Leo XIV has spoken with Netanyahu by phone. The Pope repeated his appeal for negotiations and an end to the war.

Christians make up a small minority in the Gaza Strip. Around 1,000 of the territory's over two million people are Christians, most of them Orthodox.

Loading related articles...

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers
Loading related posts...