Pope Leo's Comments On Israel Striking Gaza's Only Catholic Church Are Going Mega Viral
Related:
Soon after, the office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement saying, 'Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy.'
'Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites,' it continued.
Related:
Well, as head of the Catholic church, Pope Leo released his own statement about the tragedy on X (formerly known as Twitter.)
I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in #Gaza. I assure the parish community of my spiritual closeness. I commend the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, and pray for…
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) July 17, 2025
Twitter: @Pontifex
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in #Gaza," he wrote.
"I assure the parish community of my spiritual closeness. I commend the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, and pray for their families and the injured. I renew my call for an immediate ceasefire. Only dialogue and reconciliation can ensure enduring peace!"
Related:
The post has been viewed by over five million people.
Related:
Further, NBC reports that during a Friday morning call between Pope Leo and Netanyahu, the pope relayed the importance of a ceasefire and end to the war in Gaza...
...and expressed that places of worship, worshippers, and citizens on the ground in both Palestine and Israel should be protected.
What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments.
Also in In the News:
Also in In the News:
Also in In the News:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
25 minutes ago
- Fox News
US-backed org sounds the alarm over abandoned aid for Gaza, calls for UN collaboration
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is reaching out to one of its most prominent critics in hopes of bridging the divide and finding a path to collaboration on aid distribution. On Tuesday, the organization's executive chairman, Rev. Johnnie Moore, sent a letter to Tom Fletcher, the United Nations' under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator . "As you are aware, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Despite the extraordinary volume of aid inside Gaza, the vast majority of it remains warehoused, undelivered, or looted. The result is millions of civilians without consistent access to food aid," Moore his letter, Moore asserts that while U.N. agencies have blamed the stalled aid on a "lack of permissions" and security concerns, the reality is much different. "More than 400 aid distribution points run by the U.N. and its partners remain closed. Kitchens have shuttered, trucks sit idle, drivers are striking, and convoys are routinely looted. This is not an access issue. It is a capacity and operational issue, and the world deserves honesty about that distinction." Moore also expressed concern over U.N.-aligned organizations and spokespeople launching public retaliation attacks while ignoring "broader systemic failures." Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) international spokesperson, posted a video on Tuesday allegedly showing 950 trucks of aid "waiting in Gaza for international organizations to pick up and distribute to Gazan civilians." When it comes to criticisms from the U.N., GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay told Fox News Digital the organization was established to correct mistakes the international body has made over the years. "The U.N. has been doing this for years and that's why we're here. GHF was created to solve two problems. One, Israel lost faith in the prior system because of the second problem, which was diversion. Again, the U.N. has had a near perfect record of food being diverted for various reasons, including corruption and working with local Hamas agents in Gaza, so that's why we're here. And the difference is we are delivering this safely and securely, and we've had zero aid diverted, zero of our trucks have been diverted," Fay said. According to Fay, GHF has distributed approximately 85 million meals since it began operations in the Strip just under two months ago. Fletcher is among several U.N. critics who have voiced opposition to the U.S.- and Israel-backed GHF. Before the organization even began distributing meals, Fletcher said it was a "fig leaf for further violence and displacement" and a "cynical sideshow." Since then, Fletcher and U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese have criticized the GHF over reports of violence at its sites, with Albanese calling them "death traps." "Regardless of what you hear or read about in the international media, we've had very little violence on our sites," Fay told Fox News Digital. He added that there were only two incidents: a deadly trampling that Fay said was "fomented by Hamas," and another was a terror attack in which "Hamas-style grenades" were thrown at and injured two American workers. "The veterans that make up our security personnel are highly, highly trained, experienced, and skilled. And they are not there because they know how to pull a trigger, they are there because they know when not to pull a trigger. And our people have never once shot at anyone," Fay said. Fay told Fox News Digital that the IDF is "responsible for security outside of our sites in Gaza, so you'd have to ask them about the casualties." In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, the IDF said that "instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned" from situations in which civilians were harmed. "Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned. The aforementioned incidents are under review by the competent authorities in the IDF," the IDF told Fox News Digital.
an hour ago
Columbia University disciplines 70 students as it seeks a deal with Trump
Columbia University announced on Tuesday that it is disciplining more than 70 students over anti-Israel protests that took over Butler Library on the New York City campus earlier this year and during Alumni Weekend last spring. The disciplinary action came as the university seeks to work with the Trump administration, which in March accused the school of "continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students." Most of the disciplined students received two-year suspensions or expulsions in the first punishments meted out by the university's Provost's Office. The Trump administration is withholding $400 million in federal grants from the university. Columbia and the administration have been trying to work out a deal to restore the funding. "Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community. And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules," the university's statement said. "Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences." The University Judicial Board (UJB), which was placed under the Provost Office in March, determined the findings and disciplined the students. The UJB panel is comprised of professors and administrators who, the university said, "worked diligently over the summer to offer an outcome for each individual based on the findings of their case and prior disciplinary outcomes." The university did not disclose the names of the disciplined students. The punishment stemmed from violations that occurred in May, when students took over the Butler Library during a pro-Palestinian protest, and from an illegal encampment students established on campus during Alumni Weekend in the spring of 2024, according to the university. "The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes," the university said in its statement. Following the Butler Library protest, which the university said affected hundreds of students attempting to study, the school launched an investigation, banned participating individuals from affiliated institutions and non-affiliates from campus, and placed Columbia participants on interim suspension. "The University Judicial Board held hearings, in which respondents had an opportunity to be heard and make their case, and then determined findings and issued sanctions approximately 10 weeks following the incident," according to the university's statement. In a March 13 letter to the university, the Trump administration listed nine demands Columbia must comply with "as a precondition for formal negotiations" regarding federal funding being withheld, including enforcing existing disciplinary policies. Columbia also agreed to ban masks on campus, one of the Trump administration's key demands, saying in the memo, "Public safety has determined that face masks or face coverings are not allowed for the purpose of concealing one's identity in the commission of violations of University policies or state, municipal, or federal laws."
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
American man from Oklahoma 'brutally executed' by Syrian-backed jihadis
Syrian jihadists reportedly executed a 35-year-old Syrian American – a member of the religious minority Druze community – last week as government-backed forces viciously attacked members of the Druze community in the country. The State Department confirmed on Tuesday to Fox News Digital that an American, who has been identified as Hosam Saraya from Oklahoma, was killed in Syria. A State Department spokesperson said, "Time and time again, Secretary Rubio has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the safety and security of U.S. citizens. We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Sweida region of Syria last week. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them." Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla, wrote on X, "Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria. We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss." Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, wrote on X that an "American citizen from Oklahoma" was "brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria," adding, "I'm working with partners in the region to learn more, and we're in touch with @GovStitt on this devastating situation. Our prayers are with the family at this time." President Ahmed Al-Sharaa had reportedly taken the side of the jihadi-influenced Bedouin tribes who executed Druze residents in southern Syria, declaring they carried out "heroic actions." Al-Sharaa, who used a nom de guerre "Abu Mohammed al-Golani," was on the FBI's Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in terrorism. Critics accuse al-Sharaa of seeking to violently repress the struggling ethnic and religious minority populations in Syria – Christians, Druze, and Kruds. Last week Israel launched military strikes against the jihadi forces on their way to the southern city of Sweida, where there is a large Druze population, to stop the massacre. Israel also attacked the Syrian Defense headquarters in Damascus to halt the bloodshed in Sweida. An Israel Defense Force spokesman told Fox News Digital during a Zoom call that it "learned its lesson" from the Hamas invasion of the Jewish state in 2023 and has two goals in southern Syria: border security and the rescue of Syrian Druze. The bulk of the world's Druze community lives in Syria. There are also sizable Druze populations in Israel and Lebanon. Arizona GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh, who is of Druze background, told Fox News Digital, "The barbaric violence against the Druze community in Syria must end immediately. Under the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Barrack, the United States took bold steps to ease sanctions and extend goodwill to the Syrian government and its people in the hope of seeing real reforms." Hamadeh, whose mother is from Sweida, added, "Now is the time for the Syrian government to turn their words into real actions, if they want to maintain legitimacy: restore order, protect all of its citizens, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace and long-term stability. The only way is to build a new Syria that is reflective of its ethnic and religious mosaic. The United States wants Syria to succeed, but bloodshed, senseless violence, and division is not the path forward." The Arizona congressman said, "My staff and I are engaged in interagency efforts to ascertain what is, and is not, happening on the ground in Syria amid the fog of this conflict. We will not rest until all American remains and victims are returned. Justice and accountability must be served. We are praying for the victims and for peace." Al-Sharaa's rule since he toppled the pro-Iran regime of Bashar al-Assad in December has experienced massacres of Alawites, Christian and Druze. Critics argue that Al-Sharaa refuses to rope in the jihadi forces who seek to impose a Taliban-style rule on Syria. After Al-Sharaa's forces executed Syrian Christians in March, Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital: "This is a warning that the Syrian government is not ready for prime time if it can't protect a handful of vulnerable Christians who had absolutely nothing to do with this violence except being its victims," The death toll involving the clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters, which includes government forces and Israel, topped 1,000, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Washington helped implement a fragile ceasefire. SOHR noted, "Reaching an agreement including ceasefire and sponsored by Washington coincided with threats to keep Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, in case that the agreement's terms were violated."
