Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family who was wounded in a recent strike on the church, stands before the altar during a Sunday morning Mass held by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem at the church in Gaza City on July 20, 2025. (Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 21, 2025 / 16:43 pm (CNA).
The pastor of the only Catholic church in Gaza, Argentine priest Father Gabriel Romanelli, on Sunday described the current situation after the church was hit by Israeli fire on July 17, leaving three people dead and several injured, including a 19-year-old postulant who remains hospitalized.
In a video posted July 20 on his YouTube channel, Romanelli, a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, began by sharing the bad news: “Unfortunately, the war continues,” he said. “Today there were many deaths, people who were even waiting in the north, where there is a great need for humanitarian aid. The numbers are terrible; there is no final figure yet, but they’re talking about dozens of deaths, many.”
Furthermore, he continued, “the heat is oppressive. Today the heat index was 42 degrees [Celsius; 108 degrees Fahrenheit], and they say it will remain that way for days to come. There have been more evacuations in different places throughout the Gaza Strip, and the bombardment continues unabated. We have had nearby bombardment with some shrapnel falling, and unfortunately, we have come to understand what shrapnel means, which is not just something that makes noise but something that damages, wounds, and kills.”
Romanelli then said there is good news: “We are in God’s grace, we are persevering in the faith. Many have expressed their closeness in every way because of what has happened here: the attack on the Catholic Church here. The patriarchs have come to visit, as I told you.”
The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, “is still here, so it’s a blessing for the people to have him, to pray with him, to see him pray, to ask for his blessing, to listen to him, to console him. That he can console us is very gratifying. Everyone’s gratitude is very good news.”
“Other good news is that Nayib, one of our young men in a wheelchair with a lung injury, is doing better. He prays; he’s always been a prayerful man, and he continues to pray and ask for prayers. He’s still hospitalized,” Romanelli said, although the situation at the hospital, so necessary now, “is deplorable.”
“Most of the hospitals in the [Gaza] Strip were destroyed, but Nayib is doing better. His situation is delicate, but he’s doing better,” the priest added.
“Suheil is doing better. He had a major operation and will need to be patient during his recovery,” he continued. “He’s our postulant, whom you know, a great guy. He’s 19 years old and very well-liked here. The young people, the teenagers, the children, the adults are all very moved by what happened, so, well, today we were able to have a conversation. He spoke on the phone, so he’s doing better.”
Praying and working for peace in Gaza and the entire region
The pastor of Holy Family Church also said that “people are still in shock: You can imagine how little time has passed since all of this. The good thing is that we prayed and sang. Although there were bombardments, there has been little flying debris these days, and the children wanted to go out, sing, and yell, so they were seen more in the yard, and they started playing with a soccer ball.”
“And well, we continue to ask you, thanking you for your prayers, and asking you to work, let us all work, and convince the world that peace is possible and necessary,” he continued.
The priest prayed “to the Prince of Peace, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the gift of peace, especially for Gaza and for the entire region.”
This story was first publishedby ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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Islamabad, Pakistan, Jan 29, 2019 / 05:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A petition to overturn last year’s acquittal of blasphemy charges against Catholic wife and mother Asia Bibi was dismissed by Pakistan’s Supreme Court Tuesday.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition cover the altar, just dedicated by the cardinal. The covering of the altar signifies that it is both the place of the Eucharistic sacrifice and the Lord’s table. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Sep 12, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).
On Aug. 31, exactly 100 years after its dedication, the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant was reopened for worship on the hill of Kiryat Yearim, nine miles from Jerusalem.
The church, which was closed for four years for restoration work, stands atop the hill overlooking the (Muslim) village of Abu Gosh. From the top, visitors can see Jerusalem.
A view from the hill of Kiryat Yearim, where the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant stands. At the foot of the hill lies the Muslim village of Abu Gosh, with Jerusalem visible in the background, a little more than nine miles away. The place, mentioned in the Bible as “Kiriath-Jearim,” held an important role in the history of the Jewish people, as it was here that the Ark of the Covenant rested for about 20 years until King David brought it to Jerusalem. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The place, mentioned in the Bible as “Kiriath-Jearim,” has held an important role in the history of the Jewish people as it was here that the Ark of the Covenant rested after being recovered from the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 6).
The ark contained the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments — God’s covenant with the Jewish people — were inscribed and was the sign of God’s presence among his people.
According to the Bible, it was hosted in the house of Abinadab, where it remained for about 20 years (see 1 Samuel 7:1-2) until King David brought it to Jerusalem.
For this reason, even today, the site is visited by many groups of Jews.
A Byzantine basilica was built on the top hill around the fifth century. The current church, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1920, stands on the remains of that building. It was consecrated in 1924 by the then-Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Luigi Barlassina, and dedicated to Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant.
The Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim (exterior). The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, whom Christians also honor with the title of “Ark of the Covenant.” “The covenant of God with his people finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is no longer just the sign of God’s presence but God himself among us. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried Christ himself in her womb,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, in his homily. Credit: Marinella Bandini
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the current Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, recently came to the basilica to dedicate its new altar on the occasion of the reopening of the church.
“This reopening is a moment of trust in the future, a desire to start anew, and this is what we need most at this time, when everything around us speaks of death and endings,” he told CNA after the celebration on Aug. 31.
The opening of the doors of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim on Aug. 31, 2024, for the solemn celebration with the rite of dedication of the altar, presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
“Climbing this mountain, blessed by the presence of the Lord,” he added, “invites us to have a broad and farsighted perspective on events and not to close ourselves off in the dramatic present moment.”
Hosting the event were the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, a French congregation founded in 1832 by Mother Emilie De Vialar, which owns and operates the church and surrounding property.
The complete details of how the land came to be acquired by the sisters are lost to history, but it centers on one of the order’s sisters who died in 1927. Sister Josephine Rumèbe, who is buried in the church, was reportedly endowed with special mystical gifts and managed to acquire the land on behalf of the sisters. The story goes that she had 5,000 francs at her disposal and sought the help of a clergyman for the purchase. To prevent a competing buyer from acquiring it, the cleric secured the entire hill for 20,372 francs. Miraculously, when Sister Josephine counted the gold coins hidden in her room, the amount matched exactly what she needed.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, pours the chrism oil on the new altar of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim. On Aug. 31, 2024, he presided over the solemn Mass with the rite of dedication of the altar, marking the reopening of the church after four years of restoration and maintenance work. Credit: Marinella Bandini
The dedication of the new altar in the basilica took place after the recitation of the creed and chanting of the litanies. The cardinal placed relics in the altar, including that of Mother Emilie De Vialar, who was canonized a saint in 1951. This was followed by the anointing of the altar with chrism oil, the incensing of the altar, the covering of the altar, and the lighting of the altar.
The relics placed inside the new altar of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim, which was dedicated by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, on Aug. 31, 2024. Among the relics are those of Mother Emilie De Vialar, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition, the order who owns the church and surrounding property. Credit: Marinella Bandini
“The covenant of God with his people finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is no longer just the sign of God’s presence but God himself among us. Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant because she carried Christ himself in her womb,” said the cardinal in his homily, inviting the faithful, following the example of the Virgin Mary, to renew their trust in God as the Lord of history and active within history.
Upon entering the church — whose iconographic elements were created by artists from the Ave Center of the Focolare Movement — the eye is drawn to the golden flame emanating from the center of the apse.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrates the Eucharistic liturgy on the altar he dedicated in the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim on Aug. 31, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini
A special decoration that, on one hand, evokes the biblical significance of fire, symbolizing the presence of God, and on the other, is connected to the history of this place and particularly to Sister Josephine’s vision of a “mountain of fire,” holds significance here.
When she was still a young postulant in France, during Eucharistic adoration, Sister Josephine had a vision of flames forming a mountain with Jesus above them instead of the host. The vision then vanished, and only 50 years later, at the time of laying the foundation stone of the church, it was revealed to her that the “mountain of fire” was indeed Kiryat Yearim, which she used to call “the Holy Mountain.”
Sister Valentina Sala, the current provincial of the congregation for the Holy Land, immediately felt a strong connection to this place. She recounted to CNA: “The first time I came here for a few weeks, a sister took me to Kiryat Yearim. I knelt at Sister Josephine’s tomb and prayed to return if that was God’s will.”
Sister Valentina Sala, the current provincial of the congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition for the Holy Land, prays at the tomb of Sister Josephine Rumèbe, founder of the convent and the church in Kiryat Yearim. “The first time I came here for a few weeks, a sister took me to Kiryat Yearim. I knelt at Sister Josephine’s tomb and prayed to return if that was God’s will,” she recounted to CNA. Credit: Marinella Bandini
On the centenary of the church’s dedication, Sister Valentina also emphasized the significance of this place for her congregation, whose charism is to serve the needs of people through works of charity.
“What is charity work? What people need today is not just health care or education; there is a hunger and thirst for God. We must be able to recognize this need, helping those who come here to listen to his voice. We need places where people can pause and rest with God,” she said.
When the construction of the church was nearly complete, Sister Josephine had a vision of the Virgin Mary, at the top of the church, facing Jerusalem with outstretched arms in a gesture of dispensing grace. A statue now stands above the church to recall that vision, facing away from those entering and directed toward Jerusalem.
“This place, which evokes the covenant, invites us to realign ourselves with God and to be under this blessing,” Sister Valentina concluded.
This is also the meaning of the words she addressed to those present — the vast majority of local faithful from Jerusalem as well as from Galilee — at the end of the Mass.
Hundreds of local faithful from Jerusalem and Galilee attend the solemn Mass with the rite of dedication of the altar, marking the reopening of the Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant in Kiryat Yearim, on Aug. 31, 2024. A hundred years ago, Sister Josephine Rumèbe of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition wrote about having seen a vision of “a crowd rushing toward the basilica. I saw priests, sisters of our order, and then men and women of the world who were even more pleasing to God than all the others, holy souls shining like stars.” Credit: Marinella Bandini
“Sister Josephine had already seen you in various visions: ‘I saw a crowd rushing toward the basilica. I saw priests, sisters of our order, and then men and women of the world who were even more pleasing to God than all the others, holy souls shining like stars.’”
She continued: “And what if we are that vision? What if we are that future? Of course, we are! From now on, you will be the ones to bring life to this hill, to this covenant between God and his people. Come, rush, stay, feel at home. There is not only a newly renovated church to see but a Presence to discover: Take the time to dwell with the Lord. What could be more beautiful… Many graces await to be dispensed from here!”
Aleppo, Syria, Jun 23, 2017 / 10:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians who fled Aleppo because of the four year battle for the city are now returning, and in the face of such challenges as poverty, destruction, and a shortages of basic goods, they persevere with the help of the local Church.
Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh, a Franciscan priest in the city, told CNA that between January and June, 18 Catholic families have returned to Aleppo from places like Armenia, France, Germany, and Venezuela. In addition, 400 Christian families of the Armenian community returned to the area.
He said these families have decided to return because in their host countries “they live in poverty and feel like foreigners. Also because they miss the warmth of the Christian community that welcomes, heals, and accompanies each family with all its needs.”
“When they see they aid that we give to the Christians in Aleppo, they say, ‘Why don’t we return home, to our culture, to our society when the bombings have ceased?’” he said.
Syria’s largest city before the country’s civil war began in 2011, control of Aleppo was divided among government and several rebel groups from July 2012 until the Syrian government recaptured the metropolis in December 2016.
The Franciscan said that while rebels have been expelled from the city, unfortunately “living conditions have not improved in Aleppo. The only thing that has improved is that there are no more bombings, thank God, but there is still insecurity.”
In addition, “it is difficult to work because there are few hours in which there is electricity. There is also a small labor force because many young people are gone.There is food, but high prices,” he added.
He explained that the economic situation in Aleppo is so difficult that “even if the both parents work, it is impossible to get ahead without the help of the Church. There are many needy people and we trust in divine providence.”
On the other hand, he indicated that only a third of the Christians have stayed in the city. He stated that the Christians who remained were the poorest. There are also some families who had the firm conviction that “what the Lord wants them there because they must fulfill the mission of being a bridge of reconciliation and of bearing witness to Jesus Christ in this land.”
Fr. Ibrahim stressed that in the midst of this difficult situation “the key is the community that comes out to give people a sign of hope and remains a beacon. They are a very strong support to the family, especially when people feel alone and have left everything to return to their country. “
He commented that the Franciscans have developed a project to help Christians rebuild their homes. Since 2016 the order has rebuilt some 470 homes, and this year they have created an office where nine engineers evaluate the cases of families whose houses were damaged in the war.
Fr. Ibrahim added that there are several families who, despite having their homes destroyed, are still required to pay the mortgage on their home to the bank. The church also helps them.
The priest said that the money with which he supports the families comes from “many of the people and the families around the world who pray for us and send donations. Even if they are modest, it shows how the Lord works miracles with them.”
“As St. Francis of Assisi said, we depend on the generosity, the divine providence from which our aid comes. Every day we see this miracle and we thank those who help us with our whole heart.”
In addition, the priest said that there are 30 couples who will get married soon, and said that this aid is also for them.
“This is a great joy for us, to see that young people get married and say yes to the gift of life. This gives us great consolation,” he said. “It means that there is a future in Aleppo and a desire for life to conquer death.”
The Zionist state of Israel is not the Israel of the Bible. As Catholics, we must speak with moral clarity: what is unfolding in Gaza is not “self-defense”—it is genocide. Over 58,000 Palestinians are dead, the strip pulverized, children buried in rubble, and churches shelled. On July 17, Israeli tanks bombed Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing parishioners and wounding the priest. This is not biblical prophecy fulfilled—it is apartheid and ethnic cleansing carried out by a modern state claiming divine right.
Too many Catholics remain silent, confused by the false theology of Christian Zionism. But the Catholic Church has never equated the Zionist state of Israel, founded in 1948, with the biblical People of God. The land promises to Israel were fulfilled in ancient times (Joshua 21:43–45) and have nothing to do with the 1948 founding of the modern secular state. The promises were transfigured in Christ (Galatians 3:29) making Church—not any nation-state—the new People of God (Lumen Gentium 9; CCC 781, 839–840, 877).
Zionism is a nationalist project, not a divine one. Its crimes—settler colonialism, genocide, apartheid—are not holy acts. They are sins.
To criticize these evils is not anti-Semitism; it is fidelity to the Gospel. Christ stands with the oppressed, not the occupier. It is time for Catholics to wake up. Silence is complicity. Faith demands truth. Enough is enough.
Do you believe Israel today has the God-given right to exist within the borders God declared and set for it? If you do, then we can discuss how to proceed. If you don’t, you will ALWAYS be part of the problem…
The State of Israel as founded in 1948 is the lawful successor of Mandate Palestine and the Ottoman Empire – it’s not the same state as the Kingdom of Judah, but it does not have to be. It is legitimate on the same basis as is every other state.
The Jews are matrilineally descended from the Jews of antiquity – if they were not, no one would have accused them through the centuries of being Christ-killers but would have perceived them to have been Gentiles cosplaying at being Jews.
I am persuaded that God’s providence raised up the State of Israel for the purpose of judging and punishing the Muslims for their crimes against the First Commandment, but specifically for their genocide of the Armenian, Assyrian and Pontic Greek populations, as well as for their ongoing slaughter of Christians to this day in Nigeria, Sudan, Pakistan and elsewhere.
The Israel of the Bible was bigger. Other than that, yes it’s the same land given by God to His Chosen People. He doesn’t break His promises even though we do.
“Anti Zionism” is just the most recent model of anti Semitism being sold to the extreme Right and Left. It’s one of the few things they can agree on. Catholics should know better.
It should be SOP to begin an article like this with the statement – “In any conflict with Israel it is Hamas’ practice to initiate the conflict by firing on Israel from civilian areas – this is standard practice.”
Following should be a brief description of their activities on October 7, 2023, and THEN should be the article.
Israel is very much a secular state, unguided by biblical principles and teachings. As such it behaves, like any other power driven “end justifies the means” state. And it is immensely aided by an American media which refuses to recognize this fact.
I wouldn’t say that Israel is entirely unguided by biblical principles and teachings. The Torah is not without influence on the secular legal system, and Israel’s ruthless war against Hamas is consistent with the biblical rules concerning war against an enemy who is under the curse of destruction – namely Amalek and the idolatrous Canaanites.
The Zionist state of Israel is not the Israel of the Bible. As Catholics, we must speak with moral clarity: what is unfolding in Gaza is not “self-defense”—it is genocide. Over 58,000 Palestinians are dead, the strip pulverized, children buried in rubble, and churches shelled. On July 17, Israeli tanks bombed Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing parishioners and wounding the priest. This is not biblical prophecy fulfilled—it is apartheid and ethnic cleansing carried out by a modern state claiming divine right.
Too many Catholics remain silent, confused by the false theology of Christian Zionism. But the Catholic Church has never equated the Zionist state of Israel, founded in 1948, with the biblical People of God. The land promises to Israel were fulfilled in ancient times (Joshua 21:43–45) and have nothing to do with the 1948 founding of the modern secular state. The promises were transfigured in Christ (Galatians 3:29) making Church—not any nation-state—the new People of God (Lumen Gentium 9; CCC 781, 839–840, 877).
Zionism is a nationalist project, not a divine one. Its crimes—settler colonialism, genocide, apartheid—are not holy acts. They are sins.
To criticize these evils is not anti-Semitism; it is fidelity to the Gospel. Christ stands with the oppressed, not the occupier. It is time for Catholics to wake up. Silence is complicity. Faith demands truth. Enough is enough.
Do you believe Israel today has the God-given right to exist within the borders God declared and set for it? If you do, then we can discuss how to proceed. If you don’t, you will ALWAYS be part of the problem…
Thank you Leon. This truth must be told and you told it well.
Spot on–well summarized–enough is enough. Stand with Christ and his Church, not with those who have made themselves enemies of Christ.
The State of Israel as founded in 1948 is the lawful successor of Mandate Palestine and the Ottoman Empire – it’s not the same state as the Kingdom of Judah, but it does not have to be. It is legitimate on the same basis as is every other state.
The Jews are matrilineally descended from the Jews of antiquity – if they were not, no one would have accused them through the centuries of being Christ-killers but would have perceived them to have been Gentiles cosplaying at being Jews.
I am persuaded that God’s providence raised up the State of Israel for the purpose of judging and punishing the Muslims for their crimes against the First Commandment, but specifically for their genocide of the Armenian, Assyrian and Pontic Greek populations, as well as for their ongoing slaughter of Christians to this day in Nigeria, Sudan, Pakistan and elsewhere.
The Israel of the Bible was bigger. Other than that, yes it’s the same land given by God to His Chosen People. He doesn’t break His promises even though we do.
“Anti Zionism” is just the most recent model of anti Semitism being sold to the extreme Right and Left. It’s one of the few things they can agree on. Catholics should know better.
It should be SOP to begin an article like this with the statement – “In any conflict with Israel it is Hamas’ practice to initiate the conflict by firing on Israel from civilian areas – this is standard practice.”
Following should be a brief description of their activities on October 7, 2023, and THEN should be the article.
Israel is very much a secular state, unguided by biblical principles and teachings. As such it behaves, like any other power driven “end justifies the means” state. And it is immensely aided by an American media which refuses to recognize this fact.
I wouldn’t say that Israel is entirely unguided by biblical principles and teachings. The Torah is not without influence on the secular legal system, and Israel’s ruthless war against Hamas is consistent with the biblical rules concerning war against an enemy who is under the curse of destruction – namely Amalek and the idolatrous Canaanites.