Pope ‘deeply saddened’ by deadly attack on Gaza church

Pope Leo XIV says he is “deeply saddened” by a strike on Gaza’s lone Catholic church, which killed two people and injured a priest who had been close to his predecessor.

Leo does not specifically mention Israel, which is accused of firing a tank shell at the Holy Family Church, as he calls for “an immediate ceasefire.”

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza” and “renews his calls for an immediate ceasefire,” reads a Telegram post sent by the Vatican’s Secretary of State in the pope’s name.

The Catholic charity Caritas Jerusalem says the parish’s 60-year-old janitor and an 84-year-old woman receiving psychosocial support inside a Caritas tent in the church compound were killed in the attack.