Christians in Gaza Remember Pope Francis

Gaza City, Palestine — For the few hundred Christians left in Gaza sheltering in churches, the news of Pope Francis’ passing on April 21 has been a hard blow. Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, had consistently stayed in touch with the Holy Family Church in Gaza’s Old City, the only Roman Catholic parish in the besieged Strip, calling them nightly during Israel’s genocidal bombardment of Palestinians.

“He was in touch with us when communications were difficult or even cut off,” said Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest at Holy Family. “Sometimes, the Pope talked with us daily for three or four hours despite all his responsibilities.”

Speaking to Unicorn Riot on the day of the Pope’s death, Father Romanelli remembered Pope Francis as “deeply loved and very close to the Christian community in Gaza and not just the Christians, but to all the people of Gaza and the entire Holy Land.”

Since October 2023, about 340 Christian Palestinians have been sheltering in the Holy Family Church of Gaza City. They represent about half of the remaining 600 Christians in Gaza out of the 1,000 that were there at the start of the war. The other half not inside Holy Family Church are staying just three kilometers away inside the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, one of the world’s oldest Christian sites.

Israel has bombed Saint Porphyrius multiple times over the last 19 months. At least 18 Christians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Oct. 19, 2023. Despite the bombings, the main structures of the church, which house Saint Porphyrius’ tomb, remain intact.

Parishioners at Holy Family Church have also been killed by Israeli forces. In December 2023, a 49-year-old church worker and her mother were shot to death by an Israeli sniper as they attempted to cross the church’s courtyard, and seven others were shot while protecting others.

Pope Francis called regularly to Holy Family. Spokesperson for the church, George Anton, said that “just last Saturday, he had his final call with us. He was checking on the community and on Gaza, praying for peace and for the resilience of Gaza.”

Anton said Pope Francis was a father figure to everyone. The Pope “would pray for peace” and urge everyone to “remain steadfast … that’s all he ever spoke about and he prayed for everyone in Gaza, for all its people — Muslims and Christians alike.”

In the Pope’s final public appearance, he addressed Easter Sunday Mass and repeatedly called for peace in Gaza. From St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Pope Francis said, “I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.”

While thinking of the Christians in Gaza, Pope Francis said that “the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction [and a] deplorable humanitarian situation.” He appealed to the warring parties to “call a ceasefire, release the hostages, and come to the aid of a starving people.”

“I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation.”
Pope Francis in his last speech before his death

“Yesterday, from the Church of Saint Peter, he called for peace and an end to this war,” said Father Romanelli, who continued, “We hope he is now in heaven, praying and asking the Heavenly Father to grant peace to Gaza and all of Palestine.”

Pope Francis speaking to Father Romanelli, priest at Holy Family Church of Gaza, and the rest of the parish on Christmas Day 2024 via video chat. Pope Francis called nightly to the only Catholic parish in Gaza over the last 19 months to make sure everyone was okay during Israel’s onslaught.

Pope Leo XIV succeeded Pope Francis on May 8, 2025 to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. In his first speech he also called for the fighting to cease for aid to flow into Gaza.

After violating the latest round of ceasefire in January 2025, Israeli forces have continued to block border crossings, forcibly displace residents, and bomb so-called “safe zones.” Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on all humanitarian supplies, including food and medical supplies, leading to widespread famine and at least 57 Palestinian deaths.

Israel started its widespread bombing campaign on Gaza in response to Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,139 people and led to 251 captives being brought back into the Strip. Upwards of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s onslaught, and the majority of the infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed.

The latest war is one of many since the creation of the state of Israel that have sought to eradicate Palestinians from their ancestral homeland. Although not occupied like the West Bank, Gaza has been under an Israeli-imposed air, land, and sea blockade since 2007.

Map of Palestine since the Nakba of 1948 via The Palestine Academy

Interview Transcripts:

“We received the news of Pope Francis’ death with great shock. We didn’t expect it, even though death comes to everyone, but we didn’t expect it to be this easy for him to pass away, because just last Saturday, he had his final call with us. He was checking on the community and on Gaza, praying for peace and for the resilience of Gaza. Our feeling is like everyone else’s, for everyone, he was like a father figure. The most painful feeling is that daily, throughout the war, he would call for peace and would say “Peace, peace.” He would pray for peace, he would pray for peace. He always urges us to be patient. He would pray for us and encourage us to remain steadfast. That’s all he ever spoke about, and he prayed for everyone in Gaza, for all its people—Muslims and Christians alike.”
George Anton, spokesperson for the Holy Family Church of Gaza

“It’s truly a great shock because Pope Francis was deeply loved and very close to the Christian community in Gaza and not just the Christians, but to all the people of Gaza and the entire Holy Land. He last called us on Saturday. The Saturday of light. I mean, just two days ago, he asked us to pray and gave us his blessing. We thanked him for all his efforts for the sake of peace. Of course, we were filled with grief but also with some comfort, knowing that he reached the Lord. And we hope he is now in heaven, praying and asking the Heavenly Father to grant peace to Gaza and all of Palestine. He calls us daily, even during the war, even in the darkest worst days, under bombardment, in the days when people were being killed and wounded, he was always in contact with us, day and night. Also he was in touch with us when communications were difficult or even cut off. Sometimes, the Pope talked with us daily for three or four hours despite all his responsibilities. The pope would keep trying to reach us. He would strive to deliver his message and connect with us daily. That’s why we truly felt that he was a part of this church, even though we knew he was a father to all. He cared for everyone. His last call was for peace. Yesterday, from the Church of Saint Peter, he called for peace and an end to this war. We hope, God willing, that we too will soon experience a new phase, a phase of peace and justice for this entire region.”
Father Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family Church of Gaza