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CV NEWS FEED // On Saturday, December 16 the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem issued an urgent statement announcing that Israeli snipers opened fire at the compound of Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza, killing two Christian women, a mother and a daughter, who were moving between buildings.
Pope Francis condemned the attack during his Angelus address on Sunday, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also issued a statement of condemnation.
The patriarchate’s statement reported that “no warning was given, no notification was provided.” The two women “were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents.”
The statement also revealed that a rocket fired from an Israeli Defense Forces tank during the morning of Saturday targeted and struck the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, destroying the building’s generator and damaging the house.
“The Convent is home to over 54 disabled persons and is part of the church compound, which was signaled as a place of worship since the beginning of the war,” the statement pointed out.
“Together in prayer with the whole Christian community, we express our closeness and condolences to the families affected by this senseless tragedy,” the statement continued. “At the same time, we cannot but express that we are at a loss to comprehend how such an attack could be carried out, even more so as the whole Church prepares for Christmas.”
Although by Sunday evening Israel had not commented on the attack, some Israeli outlets had claimed the presence of a rocket launcher in the parish. The Latin patriarchate has strongly denied the claim.
During the Angelus prayer at the Vatican on December 17, Pope Francis said that “unarmed civilians are subjected to bombings and shootings,” addressing the Holy Family incident directly:
And this even happened inside the parish complex of the Holy Family, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, sick and disabled people, nuns. A mother and her daughter, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton, were killed and other people injured by sharpshooters.
“Someone says: ‘It’s terrorism, it’s war.’ Yes, it’s war, it’s terrorism. This is why Scripture states that ‘God stops wars… he breaks bows and breaks spears,’” Francis added, referencing Psalm 46:9. “Let us pray to the Lord for peace.”
Also on Sunday, President of the USCCB Most Rev. Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services Issued a statement pleading for peace:
At this holy time of Advent in anticipation of the birth of the Prince of Peace, it is with great sadness and horror that we continue to witness the death and destruction of innocent people in the land of Our Lord’s birth. Such violence must not continue. Following the mistaken killing of Israeli hostages and now, the killing of two Christian women and the wounding of others inside Holy Family Parish in Gaza, we call for an immediate cessation of all hostilities, the release of hostages, and for earnest negotiations towards a peaceful resolution of this conflict.
The USCCB statement added “we resolutely join our voices with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, reminding all parties in this conflict that war is never the answer but always a defeat. We plead, ‘peace, please peace!’”
According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli army investigated the incident, “but said on Sunday that its operational findings rebut the claims.”