Catholic and Orthodox Leaders Unite in Condemnation of Gaza Church Bombing

By Nick Kampouris
Jul 19, 2025

In a powerful show of Christian unity, Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders from the Middle East met on Friday to jointly condemn the recent Israeli strike on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.

The attack, which occurred last week, resulted in the deaths of three civilians and injuries to several others, including the parish priest, sparking international outrage and renewed calls for a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza war, which began shortly after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Joined Catholic and Orthodox response to Gaza church attack

Catholic Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, visited Gaza together on Friday. There, they expressed their full solidarity with the affected community of Christians in Gaza. Their joint statement emphasized “the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza.”

 

The Catholic and Orthodox leaders of the region showed a strong, united stance against the violation of sacred spaces and the killing of civilians who were inside the church. The bombing, which targeted the only Catholic church in Gaza, has been described as a “flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and religious sites” by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem.

 

This sentiment was also expressed by Pope Francis, who, during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, told him that he believed it was of the utmost importance to protect places of worship and reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire.

Gaza Catholic church
The Israeli attack on the Catholic church in Gaza sparked widespread criticism. Credit: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The Catholic Holy Family Church had become a sanctuary and sheltering place for hundreds of displaced individuals, predominantly children. They had all been seeking a safe haven from the ongoing conflict. The deaths of Saad Salameh, Fumayya Ayyad, and Najwa Abu Daoud, along with the injuries to Father Gabriele Romanelli, shocked not only the small Catholic community of Gaza but the entire Christian world, with thousands of people on social media expressing their discontent with Israel’s actions.

Read also:
Britain rejects calls to take tougher stance on Iran as Benjamin Netanyahu meets Boris Johnson

In a joint statement that was issued by the Patriarchates of Jerusalem, both Orthodox and Catholic Patriarchs stated:

“We, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, join together in profound solidarity with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the people sheltering in Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, as we bear witness to the heinous attack by the Israeli Army on the church compound there on Thursday morning, July 17, 2025. This attack not only caused damage to the Church complex, but also left three dead and ten wounded, with even the parish priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, being among the injured.

In unyielding unity, we strongly denounce this crime. Houses of worship are sacred spaces that should be kept safe. They are also protected under international law. Targeting a church that houses approximately 600 refugees, including children with special needs, is a violation of these laws. It is also an affront to human dignity, a trampling upon the sanctity of human life, and the desecration of a holy site.”

International responses have been swift too, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denouncing the “unacceptable attacks against the civilian population” and the US expressing concern over the incident.

Unfortunately, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is deepening, as there are reports of over one thousand mosques and several churches, including Greek Orthodox places of worship, either have been damaged or destroyed since the onset of the conflict.

We remind our readers that publication of articles on our site does not mean that we agree with what is written. Our policy is to publish anything which we consider of interest, so as to assist our readers in forming their opinions. Sometimes we even publish articles with which we totally disagree, since we believe it is important for our readers to be informed on as wide a spectrum of views as possible.