For 21 months of war, the only Catholic church in Gaza has served as a fragile refuge in the besieged enclave, where hundreds of Christian and Muslim families took shelter from the Israeli assault outside its stone walls.
The Israeli shelling that blasted through that sanctuary on Thursday — killing three, including the church’s janitor, and wounding nine, including a priest — has seen Christians worldwide voice solidarity with their small community of fellow worshippers and drawn an unusually direct response from both the U.S. and the Vatican amid increasing global outrage.
Pope Leo XIV spoke Sunday of his "deep sorrow" and called for an end to the "barbarity of war," reading out the names of those killed at the Holy Family Church.
“This act, unfortunately, adds to the ongoing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza,” he said, speaking after his Angelus prayer.
The Holy Family Church remains standing despite Thursday’s deadly strike, which Israel said it “deeply regrets.”
NBC NEWS