Pope Francis Calls Gaza Priest To Offer Prayers: Vatican
The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope Francis has twice called the priest who leads Gaza’s tiny Catholic community to offer his prayers following fighting triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel.
“The pope called me a few minutes ago… he expressed his closeness and offered his prayers,” Father Gabriel Romanelli told Vatican News, the Vatican’s official news source.
He said he thanked the 86-year-old pontiff for his remarks on Sunday, in which he called for “peace in Israel and Palestine” and an end to “the attacks and the weapons”, stating that “terrorism and war do not lead to a solution”.
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“The pope also called yesterday,” Romanelli added, noting that Francis inquired about the parishioners’ well-being.
The priest stated that he was stranded in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, unable to return to Gaza after departing to collect medicine.
“The Christian community is doing fine, as well as they can in this situation,” he said, adding that his parish is currently hosting approximately 150 refugees.
The war’s death toll surpassed 3,000 on Tuesday, the fourth day of intense combat since the Islamists of Gaza launched their surprise attack on Israel.
Pope Francis Calls Gaza Priest To Offer Prayers: Vatican