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Pope Leo XIV Laments Gaza Victims Amid New Attacks
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In Short: Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness to those affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict amid new attacks on Gaza, according to EWTN News.
Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness to those affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict amid new attacks on Gaza, according to EWTN News. Among the victims were two Orthodox women, Maysa Khader Ibrahim Abu Daoud and her daughter, Mary Hafez Michel Najjar, who are now buried.
In a letter and phone call to Father Giuseppe Romanelli, the parish priest of the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Pope Francis conveyed his condolences and prayers for the victims and their families.
Romanelli recalled to EWTN News that on April 19, two days before his death, Pope Francis made a phone call to him, expressing his closeness and thanking the parish for their prayers.
Pope Francis reiterated his call for peace in his April 20, 2025, Easter urbi et orbi message. He stated, “Since learning the painful news of the deaths of Maysa and Mary, I have been praying to God for them, for their families, and for the entire community of Gaza.”
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, also expressed his closeness to those affected by the recent attacks and his hope that hostilities will eventually end.
Romanelli said that Pope Francis blessed the parish and thanked them for their prayers on his behalf, adding, “We hope that his appeals won’t be ignored: that the bombing will stop, that this war will end, that the hostages will be released, and that humanitarian aid will reach those who are suffering.”
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