Pope Leo calls for end to ‘barbarity of war’ after strike on Gaza church
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Pope Leo XIV leading the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, Italy, on July 20.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
- Pope Leo condemned the Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, calling it part of the "barbarity of war".
- Three people died, including the parish priest who also sustained injuries, following the strike on July 20.
- Pope Leo urged the international community to uphold humanitarian law, protect civilians, and prevent collective punishment.
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CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy – Pope Leo XIV slammed the “barbarity” of the war in Gaza on July 20 and urged against the “indiscriminate use of force”, just days after a deadly strike by Israel’s military on a Catholic church.
“I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” Pope Leo said at the end of the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence near Rome.
The Pope, who spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the morning after the July 17 strike, expressed his “deep sorrow” for the attack on the Holy Family Church.
The church was sheltering around 600 displaced people, the majority of them children and dozens of people with special needs.
Israel expressed “deep sorrow” over the damage and civilian casualties, adding that the military was investigating the strike.
“This act, unfortunately, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza,” Pope Leo said on July 20.
“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of populations,” he added.
The Israeli military on July 20 issued an evacuation order for Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip, warning of imminent action against Hamas militants.
Most of Gaza’s population of over two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which is now in its 22nd month.
The Pope also expressed his “sympathy” for the plight of “beloved Middle Eastern Christians” and their “sense of being able to do little in the face of this dramatic situation”. REUTERS
