Pope Francis appealed on Sunday for an end to the war ravaging the Holy Land, praying especially for Christians sheltered in the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza.
At the Angelus prayer, the Pope said he continues to receive troubling news from Gaza, where “unarmed civilians are the targets of bombings and gunfire.”
Pope Francis condemned an attack on the compound of the Catholic parish, “where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, and nuns.”
“A mother, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton, and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, were killed, and others were wounded by the shooters while they were going to the bathroom,” said the Pope.
This morning Israeli snipers shot and killed my two family friends in an attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.
Nahida (Um Emad Anton) and Samar, mother and daughter, were walking to the Sisters’ Convent to use the only bathroom.
One was killed as she tried to…
pic.twitter.com/ZtTxgsDrVf
— Hammam Farah (@hammam_therapy)
December 17, 2023
My mother texting with my sister, describing a horrific situation at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza. israeli tanks have surrounded the church, and snipers have taken position around it, shooting at the oldest Christian community in the world.
pic.twitter.com/Ais5hG3LEv
— Hammam Farah (@hammam_therapy)
December 17, 2023
“Some say, ‘This is terrorism. This is war.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism,” he said. “That is why the Scripture affirms that ‘God stops wars… breaks the bow, splinters the spear’ (Psalm 46:10). Let us pray to the Lord for peace.”
Pope Francis also recalled people in various parts of the world who are suffering due to war.
“May the approach of Christmas strengthen the commitment to open paths of peace.”
