Pope Leo received a phone call yesterday from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, four days after a deadly Israeli strike hit the only Roman Catholic church in Gaza, the Vatican announced.
During the conversation, the first publicly disclosed since the election of the American pope on May 8, Pope Leo reiterated his call for “full respect of international humanitarian law,” emphasizing the obligation to protect civilians and sacred sites, and condemning the indiscriminate use of violence and mass displacement of people, according to the Vatican statement.
The pope also stressed “the urgency of providing aid to those most vulnerable to the effects of the conflict and allowing humanitarian assistance to enter.”
This appeal follows the death of three people last Thursday in the Israeli strike on the Catholic church, which had served as a refuge for the small Catholic community since the war began 21 months ago.
The day after the strike, Pope Leo received a call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the church was hit “by mistake” and assured that an investigation was underway.
On Sunday, the pope called for an end to the “barbarity” of the war in Gaza and the “blind use of force.”
The Holy See officially supports a two-state solution, one Israeli and one Palestinian state, and has recognized the Palestinian state since 2013, maintaining diplomatic relations with it.
Source: ANA-MPA, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
