U.S. bishops renew call for peace after Christian women reportedly killed in Gaza Church

 

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks at the USCCB fall plenary assembly Nov. 14, 2023. / Credit: USCCB video

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 18, 2023 / 12:58 pm (CNA).

The U.S. bishops over the weekend renewed their call for peace in the Holy Land amid reports on Saturday that two Christian women were killed by sniper fire from Israeli forces at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said on Saturday morning that “around noon” on Dec. 16, a sniper of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “murdered two Christian women inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, where the majority of Christian families has taken refuge since the start of the war.” Several others were also shot, the statement said.

“No warning was given, no notification was provided,” the patriarchate said.

The IDF denied culpability for the deaths, telling CNA in an emailed statement that “representatives of the church contacted the IDF regarding explosions that were heard near the church” but “no reports of … civilians being injured or killed were raised.”

In a statement on Saturday, meanwhile, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for “an immediate cessation of all hostilities, the release of hostages, and for earnest negotiations towards a peaceful resolution of this conflict.”

“At this holy time of Advent in anticipation of the birth of the Prince of Peace, it is with great sadness and horror that we continue to witness the death and destruction of innocent people in the land of Our Lord’s birth,” Broglio said.

Broglio said the U.S. bishops joined in the pope’s renewed call for peace in the Holy Land, which the Holy Father issued at his Sunday Angelus, urging the faithful to “pray to the Lord for peace.”

“[W]e resolutely join our voices with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, reminding all parties in this conflict that war is never the answer but always a defeat,” Broglio said. “We plead, ‘peace, please peace!’”

The Latin Patriarchate over the weekend also said that rocket fire “targeted” the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa, a Missionaries of Charity house on the grounds of Holy Family Parish.

The patriarchate said that the home, which had been sheltering 54 disabled persons, was rendered “uninhabitable,” leaving the people without the medical equipment necessary for their care.

The IDF in its statement also said that church officials in conversation had not mentioned reports of “a hit on the church.”


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


About Catholic News Agency 12564 Articles
Catholic News Agency (www.catholicnewsagency.com)

1 Trackback / Pingback

  1. U.S. bishops renew call for peace after Christian women reportedly killed in Gaza Church – Via Nova

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

All comments posted at Catholic World Report are moderated. While vigorous debate is welcome and encouraged, please note that in the interest of maintaining a civilized and helpful level of discussion, comments containing obscene language or personal attacks—or those that are deemed by the editors to be needlessly combative or inflammatory—will not be published. Thank you.


*