“It’s time to put an end to this massacre.” Pope Leo XIV expressed with these words his firm condemnation before the attack of the Israeli army that against the Catholic Church of the Sagrada Familia, according to the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
As reports Vatican Newsthe Pontiff called the Purpurado Italiano this Friday, while heading to the Gaza Strip next to the Orthodox Patriarch Teófilo III.
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
Religious leaders entered the area- whose borders are still blocked– with hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid to attend Gazati families regardless of their religion. They also offered their comfort to the relatives of the victims of the attack that directly hit the church roof and left three dead and ten injured, including the parish priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli.
“While we were on the way, just at the border with Gaza, at the time we were, the patriarch Greco-Oortodox and I, along with our delegation to Gaza for a visit of solidarity to the parish, to the families of the victims and the entire community, their holiness, the Pope Leo XIV, called us to express its closeness, its affection, its prayer, its support, its support,” The official news page of the Vatican.
In addition, the Pontiff also guaranteed his intention “to do everything possible to reach a high fire, but at the end of this tragedy.”
According to the prelate, during the conversation, the Pope repeated his outrage several times before the violence of the Israeli armed forces. “He has repeated on several occasions that it is time to put an end to this massacre, that what has happened is unjustifiable and that everything can be done so that there are no more victims,” he said.
In this sense, Cardinal Pizzaballa, speaking in the name of the Latin patriarchy and all the churches of the Holy Land, publicly thanked the samples that it has given constant proximity. “We also assure you, in the name of the entire community of Gaza – brothers and sisters, priests, religious and religious – our prayer and our deep thanks.”
Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly stated his concern for the situation in Gaza since the beginning of the military offensive. His call this Friday adds to a series of solidarity gestures towards local Christians and the entire Palestinian people.
This Thursday, as soon as he had news of the attack, he sent a signed telegram – as usual – by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to regret the loss of lives and the wounds “caused by the military attack” and demand a high fire.
For its part, the Israel government expressed its regret for the attack on the Catholic Church of the Sagrada Familia in Gaza, attributing it to “a lost projectile” during the fighting in the strip.
In a message on social network X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamín Netanyahu said they were investigating what had happened and showed their commitment to the protection of civilians and sacred places.
Statement from the Prime Minister’s Office:
Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 17, 2025
“Israel deeply regrets that a projectile loss has reached the Church of the Sagrada Familia in Gaza. Each innocent lost life is a tragedy. We share the pain of families and the faithful,” he said on the social network.
The attack, which occurred on the morning of Thursday, July 17, caused a wave of international convictions, especially by the Patriarchs and Churches of the Churches in Jerusalem, who described the fact as a “crime” against a sacred place. At the time of bombing, the Catholic parish complex housed some 600 displaced people, including numerous children and people with disabilities.
Among the fatalities are the maintenance of the enclosure and two old women who at the time of the attack were being treated by Cáritas. The pastor, father Gabriel Romanelli was mildly injured in one leg.
In any case, it is not the first time that the parish of the Holy Family, which has been a point of humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the war in October 2023, has been attacked. In December of that year, Two women died for the shots of an Israeli sniper inside the enclosure. In addition, seven people were injured during the shooting that reached several of the Gazatis. On that occasion, the patriarchy of Jerusalem condemned the attack on “cold blood” in the perimeter of the parish, where there was “any combatant.”
Victoria Cardiel
Victoria Cardiel is a journalist specialized in social and religious information issues. Since 2013, he has covered all the news of the Vatican for various media, such as the Spanish news agency Europa Press, or the weekly of the Archdiocese of Madrid, Alfa and Omega.