October 7 has now become a date etched in history. It's been two years since the Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel — a series of coordinated offensives along the Gaza border that left around 1,200 dead and 251 people kidnapped.
From the Vatican, both diplomatic leaders and Pope Francis and now Pope Leo have closely followed developments as they unfolded.
ARCHIVE, 2023
POPE FRANCIS
I pray for the families who saw a festive day turn into a day of mourning, and I ask that the hostages be released immediately.
Videos of the massacre at the Nova festival spread around the world. Mass shootings, hostage-taking, and videos of women being sexually assaulted drew global attention to the Middle East. It is now considered the deadliest day in Israeli history.
In the aftermath of October 7, a counteroffensive was launched on Gaza. Israel began airstrikes in the region, claiming, as it continues to do, that its aim is to eliminate the terrorist group. However, the civilians of Gaza have borne the impact of the attacks. According to figures from inside Gaza, around 67,000 people have died since 2023.
ARCHIVE, 2023
POPE FRANCIS
It is the right of those who suffer an attack to defend themselves, but I am deeply concerned about the total siege the Palestinians in Gaza are enduring, where there have also been many innocent victims.
Many now describe Gaza as an “open-air prison.” Picture over 6,000 people per square kilometer, with minimal access to basic services, no humanitarian aid, and 18 years of political and military control by Hamas.
The Catholic Church has also felt the impact of this war. There is only one Catholic parish in Gaza, the Holy Family Church, and it shelters around 600 refugees, many of them children and the elderly.
In fact, it became routine for Pope Francis to call them daily, often asking how their day had gone.
Almost all the refugees here ate chicken yesterday.
ARCHIVE, 2025
POPE FRANCIS
Yesterday I called — I do so every day — the parish in Gaza. They were happy. There are 600 people there, between the parish and the school. They told me: today we ate lentils with chicken. Something they’re not used to these days. They had been eating some vegetables.
It was during January 2025 that hopes for peace were at their highest. Just hours before, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, and the Catholics in Gaza celebrated.
However, the situation did not improve in the months that followed. In fact, it got worse. One example: on July 17, a projectile landed near the Catholic Church, injuring several people, including parish priest Gabriel Romanelli, and killing three. Pope Leo XIV named the victims during an Angelus address.
POPE LEO XIV
I pray for the victims: Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud, and I express my heartfelt closeness to their families and to all the parishioners.
Shortly after, Cardinal Pizzaballa visited the parish, offering comfort to a community that, despite the hardships, continued to carry out its pastoral activities.
One of the most crucial moments for Christians came at the end of August, when Israel issued an evacuation order for all of Gaza. The Catholic community decided to stay. Their reasoning: there were too many sick and elderly.
CARD. PIETRO PAROLIN
Vatican Secretary of State
It is a courageous decision, and I don't know how it will be carried out. I wonder how they can remain if there is an evacuation order and, so to speak, full control of the territory by land. I truly don't know how their desire to stay can be fulfilled — but we will see how each person acts. Each case is different, and everyone will decide based on their own ideas and convictions.
For now, Catholics remain in Gaza.
Father Romanelli posts daily updates on his YouTube channel, as a way to tell the world they’re still alive, still standing, and still holding on to hope for peace.
CA/AT
Trans. CRT
