We’re orphans now, say Gaza Catholics the Pope called daily – BBC
2025-04-22T16:57:14Z
Pope Francis had a close relationship with Gaza’s tiny Christian community and used his last address to call for a ceasefire.
We’re orphans now, say Gaza Catholics the Pope called daily
1 day ago Share Save Yolande Knell BBC Middle East Correspondent Share Save
Getty Images For months, Pope Francis called almost nightly to check in on the people sheltering at the Holy Family Catholic Church
“As-salaam Alaikum” or “peace be upon you,” Pope Francis ventured in Arabic while talking to parishioners in Gaza earlier this year. A short video released by the Vatican upon his death showed his intimate relationship with the Palestinian territory’s tiny Christian community, many of whom he came to know by name. During 18-months of war, he took to calling them nightly to check on their wellbeing. “What did you eat today?” the Pope asks the local priests in the video, having switched to Italian. “The rest of the chicken from yesterday,” replies Father Gabriel Romanelli.
Only a few hundred Christians remain in Gaza among the territory’s almost entirely Muslim population of more than 2 million. Many have been living, as well as worshipping, at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City. With the Pope’s death they feel they have lost a dear friend. “He used to call us daily during the war, on the black days under the bombing – on the days when people were killed and injured,” Father Romanelli said. “Sometimes, we didn’t have a phone connection for hours and the Pope with all of his responsibilities would try to reach us.” George Anton, a local Catholic, is the emergency coordinator in the Holy Family church. He told me that shock left him virtually speechless the first time he spoke to the Pope but that he ended up talking to him regularly on video calls. He explained to the pontiff how he had lost his home and relatives. “He was all the time blessing me and he was totally understanding our situation and he always encouraged us to be strong,” Mr Anton said. “And he asked ‘What can I do for you? What more can I do for you’?” The Gazan Christians say they will now miss a great source of comfort and support. “We felt like ‘Oh my God, we’re like orphans now’,” Mr Anton said. “There will be no calls from the Pope, we will not hear this voice. We will not hear his sense of humour. You know Pope Francis has a special relation with Gaza, and with every one of us.”
Getty Images Father Romanelli spoke with Pope Francis over video call
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