Gaza’s only Catholic parish feels close to Pope Leo XIV and is comforted by his messages for peace, the parish’s priest told AsiaNews in a May 19 article.
The late Pope Francis had called the Holy Family Parish in Gaza often, even daily, after the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel conflict. After Pope Leo was elected, one of his first messages to the world was one urging peace and a ceasefire in Gaza.
“We feel a very strong bond with the pope, first with Francis and now with Leo XIV, because through them we feel the closeness and solidarity of all people,” parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli told AsiaNews in a phone interview. “We are comforted by the appeals the pontiff has made on the first day in St Peter’s, which he has reiterated several times.”
In Pope Leo’s first Regina Caeli address, he called for humanitarian aid, the release of hostages, and a ceasefire in the afflicted region. Last week, Israel began allowing a number of aid trucks to enter Gaza, according to Reuters.
Fr. Romanelli told AsiaNews that Gaza Christians recognize the Holy Father’s prayers as protection for their community. They also know that the pope, who is the Vicar of Christ on Earth, also is a world leader, Fr. Romanelli continued, saying that in meeting with powerful world leaders, Pope Leo is quick to appeal for the release of hostages, humanitarian aid delivery, and peace.
“All this is an element of comfort, because no world leader speaks of peace like him,” Fr. Romanelli said, “so much so that he has offered the Vatican as a place for meeting and mediation between different people, between enemies.”
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