Meloni condemns Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza as unacceptable.
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned an Israeli strike that hit the only Catholic church in Gaza on Thursday, killing two people and injuring several others.
Following the attack, Pope Leo XIV sent a message of closeness to the people of the Holy Family parish, renewing his appeals for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.
In a telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state on his behalf, the pope said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack”.
Four people were seriously injured in the attack while others suffered lighter wounds including the Argentine parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
Up to his death in April, Pope Francis rang Fr Romanelli almost every day for 19 months, to discuss the war and offer his solidarity to the tiny Christian population in the besieged territory.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News on Thursday: “What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the Church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church”, he said, adding: “There are four people seriously wounded, among these four, two are in very dramatic conditions and their lives are in serious danger”.
In a statement, Italian premier Meloni said: “Israeli raids on Gaza also hit the Church of the Holy Family. The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such conduct.”
Italy’s foreign minister and deputy premier Antonio Tajani also condemned the church attack, describing it in a post on X as “a serious act against a Christian place of worship”, extending his deepest sympathy to Fr Romanelli and saying it was “time to stop and find peace”.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it was “aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene” adding that the “circumstances of the incident are under review.“
Photo credit: Anas-Mohammed / Shutterstock.com.
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