CNA Staff, Apr 9, 2025 / 17:11 pm (CNA).
The pastor of the only Catholic parish in Gaza is urging world leaders to seek peace, saying that Gaza has “become a cage” amid the ongoing war there.
Father Gabriel Romanelli is the pastor of Holy Family Parish in Gaza, which has become a refuge for the Christian minority in war-torn Gaza.
The parish complex was converted into an improvised shelter at the beginning of the war between the terrorist group Hamas and Israel, which began nearly a year and a half ago when Hamas launched an invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children and taking 251 hostages.
Fifty-nine of the hostages are still in captivity, 35 of whom Israel believes are dead.
Pope Francis has made frequent calls to the Catholic parish in Gaza since Oct. 9, 2023, even maintaining the calls while in critical condition in the hospital.
Romanelli said the parish was doing “well” but urged world leaders to seek peace in a Wednesday interview with Vatican News.
Romanelli thanked the pope for his most recent call, saying the people “were very happy to hear he was calling.”
The pope “called, greeted us, asked how we were doing, how the people were,” Romanelli told Vatican News.
The parish is a makeshift home to 500 people, mostly Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic Christians but also some Muslim children and their families. The pastor said those in the shelter are “OK for now” but that supplies are thin.
He thanked the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, for his “constant help.”
“Together with our 500 refugees and our Muslim neighbors from the Zeitoun neighborhood, we are OK for now,” he said.
But he noted that “everything is starting to run out.”
“Gaza is a prison — it’s become a cage, a giant cage,” Romanelli said.
“We help everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike,” Romanelli said. “We try to truly be instruments of peace for all.”
Romanelli highlighted the importance of peace, saying that it is essential to “convince everyone, all world leaders, that peace is possible.”
“As long as this armed conflict continues no problem will truly be resolved,” Romanelli said.
He added that it was important to “persuade in such a way that this war ends with conditions that matter to the people,” for “both Palestinians and Israelis.”
If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!
Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.
Don’t start wars and the consequences can be avoided. Obviously that reality didn’t cross the minds of Islamic terrorists and their supporters.
I think the whole purpose of October 7th was to disrupt peace attempts & power structure in the region. The well being & best interests of Gazan residents was not the terrorists or Iran’s first concern. It never has been.
Nor is the well-being & best interests of people ever the first concern of that which remains the ultimate motivator of Islamic terrorists, which is Islam, the religion of barbarity. Moreover, Islamic terrorists are not simply “radical Muslims” as dishonest apologists for Islam continue to gaslight the rest of the world about instead of telling the truth about Islam that is published in black and white in all of their authoritative documents. Islamic terrorists are faithful practitioners of Islam in their actions of brutal violence they inflict on others based on that aspect of Jihad which calls for violence to further the goals of Islam, which is the entire world under the rule and domination of Islam.
Of course, the reality of Islam and the fact that gullible people are easily misled about Islam due to some favorable encounters with individual Muslims does not justify in any way any abuse or violence visited directly upon non-combatants, and to the extent this is being done in Gaza by anyone is morally reprehensible.
Tell me how you are not reacting exactly as the Hamas terrorists calculated. Show how you are not playing directly into their hands.
Tell us, why are you supporting and defending Hamas?
Gaza residents elected Hamas. Now we are beginning to see some regret and resistance to their tyranny among Gazans.
Be careful to whom you provide support.
Hamas is the ruling party in Gaza.
Calls for the destruction of Israel can be found in Hamas’ founding documents.
There is no peace because peace is not the objective of Hamas. Never has been.
In fact Israel used to occupy Gaza. They gave it up some 30 or so years ago in hopes of securing peace.
Upon taking possession, the Palestinians immediately started to lob rockets from Gaza into Israeli cities.
The Catholic pastor cannot say what needs to be said: That there will be no peace in the Middle East until the Muslim leaders there want peace.
What was that quote? I think Golda Mier said it: There will be no peace until the Palestinians love their children more than they hate us (the Jews)?
Hear, hear!!
(meant to reply to this post first time around fyi)
That has nothing to do with the Christians or the many Muslims who have nothing to do with Hamas. The Baptist Church and Holy Family Catholic Church have had a long presence in Gaza without any problems from their neighbors.
Advise the Ishmaelites to repudiate their Fatwa against their infidels that includes Western civilization in particular with a special venom reserved for the Jews between the river and the sea.
Does anyone know a truly reliable charity that will forward aid and donations to the poor Christians in Gaza and Fr. Romanelli? Is it even possible to get aid to them?
Thanks
Over an eight-year period, I resided in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, during which time I traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa. This experience afforded me the opportunity to engage with diverse Muslim communities, observe their cultural practices, and develop a nuanced understanding of the region. While my interactions were predominantly positive, and I have undertaken studies of Islamic texts, including the Qur’an and Sahih al-Bukhari, I do not claim expertise in Islamic theology or jurisprudence.
The assertion that ‘an Islamic terrorist is nothing less than a faithful Muslim’ presents a problematic generalization. While some interpretations of Islamic texts may be used to justify violence, it is crucial to acknowledge the diversity of Islamic thought and practice. The term ‘radical’ may be imprecise, but it attempts to differentiate between those who adhere to interpretations that condone violence and those who do not. The claim that moderate Muslims exhibit ‘laxness’ in their adherence to Islamic teachings is a subjective assessment that requires careful consideration of varying theological perspectives. It is a simplification to suggest that the adoption of a ‘faithful path’ inevitably leads to the acceptance of terrorism, ignoring the complex interplay of socio-political, economic, and individual factors that contribute to radicalization.
That’s what the Salafis believe. However, there are other disciplines of Islam. I lived in Cairo in 2005 for almost 5 1/2 months on a research project working with a group of Christians and Muslims who all socialized together. The Muslims were of the Hanifi school of thought. When the Copts were at Mass it would be a Muslim couple who would drive me to English language Roman Catholic Mass.
Through the years I kept up with these people. Thanks to the internet during the reign of the Islamist Morsi the I was able to witness the “people’s uprising” against this Islamist regime. When Christians worshiped Muslims came from all over Cairo and locked arms standing outside, surrounding the church to see that none of Morsi’s cohorts could enter. I’m sure you could search for the uprising against Morsi.
Unfortunately, the Christians in central Egypt were and are still suffering under Salafi rule.
Re Hamas rule: Fatah won the election. The elected Fatah leaders were dragged up onto roof tops and hurled off by Hamas which also happened in Egypt under Morsi’s brief rule. By the way, the most powerful supporter of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood was Barak Obama who was president at the time.
Life is never black and white; it is full of intricacies and contradictions.
For some doses of reality, Catholic World Report readers can check the following from a most informative website:
https://thereligionofpeace.com/pages/articles/jesus-muhammad.aspx
https://thereligionofpeace.com/pages/myths/index.aspx
https://thereligionofpeace.com/pages/games/index.aspx
>>>>>
“Fantasy Islam: A game in which an audience of non-Muslims wish with all their hearts that Islam was a ‘Religion of Peace,’ and a Muslim strives to fulfill that wish by presenting a personal version of Islam that has little foundation in Islamic Doctrine.” -Dr. Stephen M. Kirby
“terrorist group Hamas and Israel” should be reworded to “terrorist group Israel and Hamas”
May God bless Israel & God’s chosen people at Passover.
May the Church start praying for Israel’s conversion.
The Church seems to be more involved in the Gaza war. Iran is more emboldened by the delay of religious attention. The Pope’s appeals are 2 years old. That is a long time given the disaster at hand and the loss of thousands of innocent lives.
I have suggested that all religions assemble to present a united front and confront the murderous “religious” Ayatollah to help him understand his mortal sin and plead with him for sanity.
The Pope made “frequent calls” to the parish in Gaza?? Thats nice. But I wonder if he made frequent calls to the families whose children were murdered or kidnapped on October 7th? Somehow I doubt it. And I wonder if he ever pondered how it came to pass that this place is the LAST surviving Catholic/Christian parish in all of Gaza? I’m pretty sure its because almost every last Christian was driven out of the place.