Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, condemned Thursday's strike on the only Catholic church in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire.
“With the Holy Father, the Catholic bishops of the United States are deeply saddened to learn about the deaths and injuries at Holy Family Church in Gaza caused by a military strike," said the statement, which was published on July 17, the day of the strike.
Three people were killed and many others were injured, including the parish priest, Fr. Gabriele Romanelli.
"Our first concern, naturally, goes out to Father Gabriele Romanelli and all his parishioners, most especially to the families of those killed," said Archbishop Broglio, adding that "our prayers are with them during these tragic times."
"With the Holy Father, we also continue to pray and advocate for dialogue and an immediate ceasefire. [Wednesday] was the memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, through her intercession, may there be peace in Gaza," said Broglio.
The Israeli Defense Forces claimed the church was not targeted, and "that fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly."
Pope Leo XIV and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday. Netanyahu reiterated that the attack was not intentional and stated "every innocent life lost is a tragedy."
Netanyahu further pledged to investigate how the strike happened, and to protect "civilians and holy sites."
Unacceptable
While Gazans suffer daily attacks, a strike on the only Catholic church in the Strip brought international attention.
United Nations’ Secretary General António Guterres weighed in. His spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay called it unacceptable.
“Attacks on places of worship are unacceptable. People seeking shelter must be respected and protected, not hit by strikes,” she said during a media briefing.
The day of the attack, US President Donald Trump spoke with the Israeli prime minister. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump did not have a "positive reaction" to the strike, and that he called Netanyahu on Thursday morning to discuss it.
