Pope Leo XIV on Friday called Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, after an Israeli strike on Gaza's Holy Family Catholic Church killed three people on Thursday.
    Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest, was among 10 people injured in the strike, which prompted widespread condemnation, including from Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni.
    Pizzaballa made a visit on Friday to the church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, along with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III.
    Leo called as they entered the enclave to "express his closeness, care, prayer, support, and desire to do everything possible to achieve not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy," Pizzaballa told Vatican News.
    "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 said he thanked the Pope for "his solidarity and the prayers he had already assured us of".
    On Thursday Leo called for "an immediate ceasefire," in Gaza and expressed his "profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation, and enduring peace in the region." Before his death in April, Pope Francis had spoken by phone nearly every day with Romanell following the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
   

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