Pope Urges Peace After Israeli Strike Hits Gaza Church

As the Israel-Hamas war extends into its 21st month, calls for peaceful solutions have rung out across the globe as the world watches the horrors of war. The pope has renewed his message of peace in the wake of one of the most recent attacks.

On Friday, in a telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on his behalf, the Holy Father expressed deep sorrow for the loss of life and for the injuries caused by the Thursday Israeli attack on a Catholic church in the Gaza Strip.

‘I again call for an immediate halt to the barbarism of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.’

The pope expressed in the message his “profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region.”

The pope reiterated his message of peace at the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer from Castel Gandolfo, his summer retreat.

RELATED: Pope Leo XIV begins pontificate with thunderous call for Christian unity

  Photo by OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

“I again call for an immediate halt to the barbarism of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Pope Leo XIV said at the end of his prayer.

“I renew my appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population,” the pope added.

The pontiff prayed for the souls lost in the Gaza attack and prayed for the recovery of those who were injured. The “accident,” as the Israelis reportedly described it, left three dead and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest.

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