“Though the Vatican is far away, his voice always reached our hearts — he never ceased calling for peace and justice.”

Palestinian Christians in Gaza are mourning the passing of Pope Francis, remembering him as a steadfast spiritual supporter who maintained close contact with their small and vulnerable community throughout Israel’s devastating military assault on the enclave.

Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday morning at the age of 88, had regularly reached out to the community via video calls – sometimes several times a week – to express his support and offer prayers, Al Mayadeen reported.

Pope Francis’ Passing: His Key Statements on Gaza and the Ongoing Genocide

Members of Gaza’s Christian community shared heartfelt reflections with AFP, recalling his encouraging words of hope.

“I always waited to hear the words of the Holy Father. I would watch him on television, and through the screens. He gave us hope with his messages and prayers,” said Elias al-Sayegh from Zeitun in central Gaza.

Al-Sayegh, 49, who often attended the Pope’s video calls to Gaza’s Christian community said that “Every day, he renewed our hope for an end to the war and the bloodshed. His prayers will remain with us — for peace in the land of peace, Palestine.”

‘Peace and Justice’

George Ayad, from Gaza City, lamented that with the pope’s passing, “we in Gaza feel as though a light of love and peace has been extinguished.”

“Though the Vatican is far away, his voice always reached our hearts — he never ceased calling for peace and justice,” he added.

every day since the Gaza genocide began Pope Francis made sure to call the parish there to check with them and lift their spirits amidst the Israeli mass indiscriminate bombing, starvation, torture and killing. He did this even as he became ill recently: pic.twitter.com/wIbh79FyAR

— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) April 21, 2025

Ayad stressed that “Amid the pain and suffocating blockade we endure, we clung to his words as a beacon of hope. The pope never forgot Gaza in his prayers — and today, we offer ours for his soul.”

‘Do Not Forget Gaza’

Ibrahim al-Tarazi, from Gaza City’s Al-Rimal, said the Pope’s passing was a “heartbreaking and shocking piece of news for all Christians in Gaza and Palestine, and for peace lovers around the world.”

“His prayers and blessings will remain within us, that peace may prevail in Gaza and throughout the world,” al-Tarazi stressed.

Pope Francis was an outspoken critic of Israel’s cruelty, he kept in constant contact with the Catholic Church in Gaza, and called for a ceasefire (again) in his final address.

What a fitting tribute. pic.twitter.com/FKOj74xAso

— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) April 21, 2025

Ramez al-Souri, from Gaza City, said the Pope’s “prayers and blessings reached us, and his voice echoed to the world, saying, ‘Do not forget Gaza, do not forget the oppressed.'”

In what would later prove to have been his last speech, Pope Francis made a public return on Easter Sunday, for the first time since his recovery from double pneumonia.

Last Speech

In a speech delivered by an aide to thousands of worshippers in Saint Peter’s Square, the pontiff described the situation in Gaza as “deplorable” and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,” he said.

Palestinian, and Palestinian Christians in particular, have lost a dear friend today. Pope Francis was beloved in Palestine. He conveyed true compassion to Palestinians, most notably to those in Gaza during this genocide. His pastoral heart was evident in his insistence on… pic.twitter.com/wDvgExuEhR

— Munther Isaac منذر اسحق (@MuntherIsaac) April 21, 2025

Pope Francis added that the “growing climate of anti-Semitism throughout the world is worrisome. Yet at the same time, 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.”

“I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!” he continued.

Pope Francis also mentioned the Christian communities in Lebanon and Syria, whom he said were “presently xperiencing a delicate transition in its history.”

“I urge the whole Church to keep the Christians of the beloved Middle East in its thoughts and prayers,” he said.

(PC, Al Mayadeen, Agencies)