
Vatican hardens tone on Israel after Gaza parish strike
An Israeli army strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza last week has pushed the Vatican to change its tone on Israel and blame it more directly in the dragging war -- a break from its traditional diplomacy strategy.
The strike killed three people in the Holy Family Church in the centre of Gaza City -- prompting condemnation by politicians and by religious leaders of various denominations.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday slammed the 'barbarity' of the war and the blind 'use of force,' denouncing 'the attack by the Israeli army.'
It was a change of language after two years of tireless, repetitive calls for peace by the Vatican under former Pope Francis, who died in April.
Francois Mabille, an analyst at France's Geopolitical Observatory of Religion, said the statements represent an increasingly critical view of Israel in the Catholic world.
Beyond growing anger worldwide at the human cost of the Gaza war, he cited 'the fact that it's happening on holy ground.'
It is leading to 'at least a temporary shift in Catholic opinion in general,' he told AFP.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Pope Leo -- who became pontiff in May -- and said his country 'deeply regrets' the strike, blaming a 'stray missile' and vowing an investigation.
Netanyahu's spokesman said the conversation was 'friendly' and that the two men agreed to meet soon.
But on the same day, in an interview with Italian broadcaster Rai 2, the Vatican's second-in-command -- Cardinal Pietro Parolin -- implied the strike may have been intentional.
He called on Israel to publicise the findings of its investigation to find out 'if it really was an error, which we can legitimately doubt, or if there was a will to directly attack a Christian church.'
The Vatican also sent the cardinal of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on a rare visit to Gaza Friday, where he visited the wounded and conducted a mass at the Holy Family Church.
The visit was meant to show that Catholic authorities were determined to stay in Gaza.
'We are not a target. They say it was a mistake, even if everyone here does not believe that is the case,' the cardinal told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
'Tyrant'
Mabille, the analyst, said the Holy See is now also using 'more precise vocabulary based on legal categories.'
On Sunday, the American-born pope called for the international community to 'observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations.'
Mabille said that constituted four fundamental rights under humanitarian law that are being violated by Netanyahu's government.
Some Catholic officials are going much further.
In an interview to Italy's La Stampa newspaper, Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice -- who also serves as a judge at a Vatican tribunal -- said Netanyahu is 'not stopping because he is a tyrant pursuing a dark and bloodthirsty plan for power'.
Lojudice -- who worked with Leo for several years before was made pope -- accused Israel of 'evil without logic' in Gaza.
The Vatican, which since 2015 has recognised the state of Palestine, supports a two-state solution in Israel.
It has also called for a special international status for Jerusalem, with free and safe access to religious sites there.
Already strained ties with Israel degraded further after Israel launched its assault following Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack.
Diverging from the Vatican's official line, Pope Francis questioned whether Israel's heavy handed military response amounted to 'genocide' in Gaza.
The current tense diplomatic exchanges also come after a small Christian village in the central occupied West Bank was burnt down in early July and during heightened criticism of Israeli settler attacks.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Protestors at Tour de France call for end to war in Gaza
Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists waved flags and unfurled banners on Wednesday as the Tour de France peloton rode through Dieulefit, a southeastern French town honoured as a 'Town of the Just' for sheltering Jewish people during World War Two. A house was draped with Palestinian flags and protesters waved dozens more by the roadside. Cries of 'Free Palestine' echoed through the town, as the riders cycled through. One banner read 'Affamer c'est tuer,' meaning 'Starving is killing.' Vanessa Huguenin, who runs a family-owned department store in Dieulefit, a town of about 3,000 people, said the action had been planned for nearly two months to take advantage of the Tour's visibility. 'We can't change Israel or Hamas, but we want our government to act, not just say 'it's not good',' she said. Gaza at risk of starvation, more than 100 aid groups warn Such protests about international politics are relatively rare in the three-week annual race, in which fans line the route as the riders tackle daily stages. A small protest over the war in Gaza occurred during the first stage of last year's edition. A man was also arrested last Wednesday in Toulouse after running onto the final straight of the stage wearing a T-shirt reading 'Israel out of the Tour' and waving a black and white keffiyeh headdress. Through a loudspeaker on Wednesday, a protester shouted: 'Mr Adams, spokesperson for a genocidal army,' referring to Sylvan Adams, co-owner of the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team competing in the race. The protester called for the team to be kicked out. Israel has repeatedly rejected that its military operation in Gaza amounts to genocide. 'Israel-Premier Tech respects everyone's right to free speech which includes the right to protest,' said a statement from Israel-Premier Tech, which is Israel's first elite cycling team, founded in 2014. 'Our focus is on racing and we continue to work closely with race organisers and relevant parties to ensure that any protests do not jeopardise team members' safety, nor impact races, or our right to participate.' The team have been granted extra security on the Tour, with police officers by the team bus and they were escorted by plain-clothed officers at the team's presentation in Lille. Huguenin, 45, said the town's history inspired residents to act and said the protest had been peaceful. 'Here we say no one is a stranger. My grandparents hid people during the war. For us, being 'just' means protecting everyone, regardless of race or religion,' she said. The war between Israel and Hamas has been raging for nearly two years since the Palestinian militant group killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages from southern Israel in the deadliest attack in Israel's history, Israeli tallies show. Israel has since killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, Gaza's health ministry says. It has decimated Hamas as a military force, reduced most of the territory to ruins and forced nearly the entire population to flee their homes multiple times. The man arrested last Wednesday said he was due to stand trial for endangering the riders and refusing to give his fingerprints. He says the security officer who tackled him threw his walkie-talkie at him. Race organisers Amaury Sports Organisation declined to comment about either protest.


CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
More than 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 21, officials say
Smokes rises after an explosion during Israeli air and ground operations in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation, as Israeli strikes killed another 21 people overnight, according to local health officials. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and offensive, launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The head of the World Health Organization said Gaza is 'witnessing a deadly surge' in malnutrition and related diseases, and that a 'large proportion' of its roughly two million people are starving. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of security. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. 'Chaos, starvation and death' In an open letter, 115 organizations, including major international aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps and Save the Children, said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away.' The letter blamed Israeli restrictions and 'massacres' at aid distribution points. Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid, killing more than 1,000 people. Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggerated. The Israeli government's 'restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death,' the letter said. WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed that criticism, telling reporters that acute malnutrition centers in Gaza are full of patients and lack adequate supplies. He said rates of acute malnutrition exceed 10 per cent and that among pregnant and breastfeeding women, more than 20 per cent are malnourished, often severely. The UN health agency's representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, said there were more than 30,000 children under five with acute malnutrition in Gaza and that the WHO had reports that at least 21 children under 5 have died so far this year. Israel says critics are 'echoing Hamas' propaganda' The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism in the open letter and accused the groups of 'echoing Hamas' propaganda.' It said it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May, and that more than 700 are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the UN. That's an average of around 70 trucks a day, the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN says are needed, and which entered during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year. The UN says it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions, ongoing fighting and a breakdown of law and order. An alternative system established by Israel and an American contractor has been marred by violence and controversy. Top adviser to Netanyahu will meet U.S. envoy in Rome An official familiar with ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas said Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was traveling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday to discuss the state of the talks. The official spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiations. U.S. officials said Witkoff planned to head to Europe this week. The State Department spokesperson said he was headed to the Middle East in a sign that momentum may be building toward a deal. The evolving deal is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Overnight strikes kill at least 21 Israel has continued to carry out waves of daily airstrikes against what it says are militant targets but which often kill women and children. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areas. Strikes overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 21 people, more than half of them women and children, according to local health officials. One of the strikes hit a house in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The dead included six children and two women, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck an Islamic Jihad militant, and that the incident was under review because of reports of civilian casualties. Another strike hit an apartment in northern Gaza, killing at least six people. Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant. Eight others were wounded, the ministry said. A third strike hit a tent in Gaza City late Tuesday and killed three children, Shifa Hospital said. There was no immediate comment from the military on those strikes. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed during the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between militants and civilians, but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children. The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties. Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Wafaa Shurafa And Tia Goldenberg, The Associated Press

CBC
13 hours ago
- CBC
Russia, Ukraine to hold first peace talks in nearly 2 months
Social Sharing Russia and Ukraine are due to hold direct talks in Istanbul on Wednesday evening, the Kremlin said, but added that the negotiations would not be easy. The Russian delegation is on its way to Turkey, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. The warring sides held two previous rounds of talks in Istanbul — on May 16 and June 2 — that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But they have made no breakthrough toward a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three-and-a-half years of war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had proposed new talks over the weekend, suggesting two days ago they would likely take place Wednesday. WATCH l Trump's latest pressure tactic to end war: Trump's Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deadline met with skepticism 7 days ago U.S. President Donald Trump's 50-day deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire is being met with skepticism in Ukraine, but people are hopeful more military support could be on its way. U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days. But three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Russian President Vladimir Putin, unfazed by Trump's ultimatum, would keep on fighting in Ukraine until the West engaged on his terms for peace, and that his territorial demands may widen. Fierce fighting rages along more than 1,000 kilometres of the frontline. Russian troops continue their grinding advance in the east and have stepped up near daily attacks on Ukrainian cities with hundreds of drones.