Pope Leo

ISTANBUL — Pope Leo on Friday called for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza, condemning Israel’s deadly strike on the enclave’s Holy Family Catholic Church as “unjustifiable”, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

After visiting the Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, alongside Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said the Pope personally called him during the visit to express his concern.

“Pope Leo repeatedly stated that it is time to stop this slaughter, that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims,” Pizzaballa told Vatican News.

The Pope conveyed his “closeness, care, prayer, support, and desire to do everything possible to achieve not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy,” he added.

The visit came a day after an Israeli tank shell hit the parish, killing three people and injuring 10 others, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.

The Holy Family Church had been sheltering around 600 civilians, including children with special needs.

Pizzaballa thanked the Pope for “his solidarity and the prayers he had already assured us of,” saying the entire Catholic community in Gaza was grateful.

He said the ecumenical delegation delivered hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, and helped evacuate the wounded for treatment outside Gaza. — BERNAMA-ANADOLU