Every night during the war, Pope Francis called the only Catholic Church in Gaza in “single expression of love”

On Monday night, after news The death of Pope FrancisThe mobile phone of Father Gabriel Romanti did not ring at 8 pm as he usually does.

This was the time when the Pope would call the priest in the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City every night throughout the war to verify how those who gathered within the only Catholic Church in Gaza treated with a devastating war.

In an interview with the CBC News Adrienne Arsenautu correspondent on Monday, Romanian recalled how the kindergarten will run in the church to listen when he takes the Pope’s calls with the Vice President of the University, Father Youssef Asaj. He says they will chant “Pope! Fifa Papa!” (Long live the Pope!) And ask for his blessings.

He usually said when the phone rang at 8 pm, people knew that it was time for “Santo Padre”, referring to the Italian phrase that means the Holy Father.

So on Monday, when the Vatican announced that Pope Francis died at the age of 88, the young Christian society gathered in Gaza in the church to mourning and praying in his honor.

The repeated call of the Pope ceasefire at the final address

In addition to his night contacts with Palestinian Christians in Gaza, Pope Francis also made public comments about the Hamas Israel war.

It started after an attack on October 7, 2023, led by Hamas on Israel, which left 1,200 Israeli dead and about 250 people who were terrible in Gaza, according to the Israeli. The officials of the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that more than 50,000 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.

in November 2023Francis met separately with the relatives of the Israeli hostages that Hamas kept, as well as the Palestinians with the family in Gaza, and shortly after he told his followers that he had heard directly how “both sides were suffering” in the conflict.

During his message for Easter 2024, He issued an appeal for peaceHe called for the hostages and humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinians, in addition to an immediate ceasefire.

In November of the same year, in the book I hope not to be disappointed: pilgrims are better worldBy journalist Hernan Kings Investigate To whether the ground attack of Israel in Gaza is genocide.

Sunday – On the day before his death – in his last speech from the balcony overlooking St. Peter Square, Francis again called for a ceasefire in Gaza, and condemned the “founding humanitarian situation”, and expressed “his proximity to the suffering of the Christians in Palestine and Senqan and to all the Israeli people and the Betastin people.”

He also urged an advocate of relations between religions, and he also urged Hamas to release dozens of Israeli hostages who continue to keep them and their growing global hostility.

Night calls gave people “the sign of hope”

But with the war in Gaza in 2023, Romanti said he was surprised by what was the first call to receive from the Vatican city.

Soon, they found shared land.

Since everyone and Pope Francis were originally from Buenos Aires, Romanti says they are speaking in the Spanish language, where he asks the ink about the situation in Gaza, how people were doing in the midst of war, and daily things like whether they had enough food and what it ate on that day.

“It was a unique expression of his love and interest. A real concern for everyone and a sign of a good shepherd,” he said. “People feel giving up, but the Pope’s invitation gave a very difficult sign of hope.”

In the darker days of the war, when the bombing was very bad, Romanlli says Pope Francis will call him “three, four or five times on the same day.”

Although he admits that he is not completely sure that Francis made night calls to him, Romanlli says they have brought the rest of need and his small group in Gaza City.

The last call he received from Pope Francis on Saturday, when he said that the Pope spoke a little from the Arabic language, as he thanked the priests for their service and prayers.

“Tell us,” thank you – Shukran – for your service, for your prayers. “” “

And with 8 pm and went on Monday evening, Romanti sat in his office in the calmness of the church, while thinking about what he felt.

“We are convinced that he is in heaven,” he said. “Now, we can contact it at any time.”