Despite being in critical condition as he battles double pneumonia, Pope Francis has upheld a tradition he began nearly a year and a half ago at the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, making nightly calls to the only Catholic parish in the enclave to offer words of support and prayer.
And now, as the ailing pontiff receives care at Rome’s Gemelli hospital, Catholic Palestinians in Gaza are offering Francis their own prayers, with leaders and members of the Holy Family parish in northern Gaza praying for his recovery.
“Let’s unite in praying for the healing of Pope Francis,” Yusuf Asad, a priest of the Holy Family parish, wrote in a post on Facebook early Tuesday as he offered a prayer for the 88-year-old pope’s recovery, as he has done each day since Francis was admitted to the hospital Feb. 14.
News of Francis’ condition has sent shock waves through this small community in the Gaza Strip, with the Holy Family parish’s prayers for him highlighting the deep bond formed between the pontiff and the Palestinian church throughout the devastating war.
Since two days after Israel began bombing the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, Francis has made nightly calls to Gabriele Romanelli, parish priest at Holy Family, as well as to Asad, Romanelli’s assistant, according to Vatican News.
Pope Francis holds a video call with Gabriel Romanelli during the Christmas Eve Mass in Gaza City.Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP via Getty Images
When Francis was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, it was unclear whether he would be able to continue the tradition as he received care.
On Monday morning, however, the Vatican said that even as the pontiff remained in critical condition, he had shown a “slight improvement” and was able to resume work from his hospital bed, including calling the pastor of the Gaza parish “to express his fatherly closeness.”
The Holy See said Tuesday that Francis’ condition remained the same.
While his calls with the Holy Family parish last just a few minutes, according to Vatican News, they have been a way for him to stay connected with Gaza’s Christian community, with hundreds of people, including Christians and Muslims, taking shelter in the parish throughout Israel’s offensive in the territory.
At the end of a general audience on Jan. 22, Francis described the cautious optimism that leaders of the parish expressed after the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect.
“They’re happy. They ate lentils,” Francis said at the time, according to Vatican News, adding: “We must pray for peace.”
In a video published by Vatican News last month, Francis could be seen on a video call with Asad, saying “Good evening, how are you?” in Italian and asking him what he ate that day, with Asad laughing before telling the pontiff the whole community had been able to eat chicken.
“They want to thank you, Holy Father. They pray for you because you always pray for them,” Yusuf told the pope, according to Vatican News.
Christmas Mass at the Holy Family parish in Gaza City on Dec. 24.Rami Zohud / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
Francis has been outspoken in condemning the violence unfolding in Gaza over the past 16 months, with more than 48,000 people, including thousands of children, killed since Israel launched its offensive in the territory, according to local health authorities.
Last month, Francis stepped up criticisms of Israel’s military campaign, calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza “very serious and shameful” in a yearly address to diplomats delivered on his behalf by an aide.
The pontiff was also outspoken in his criticism of an incident that unfolded at the Holy Family parish in December 2023, when a mother and her adult daughter were shot dead while walking inside the grounds of the parish, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Israel at the time denied responsibility for the incident, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office saying that according to an Israel Defense Forces investigation, claims that Israel was responsible for their deaths were “not true.”
Fears have grown in recent days for the future of the current ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, with the two sides yet to negotiate the second phase of the truce.
Israel said this week that it will delay the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Netanyahu’s office saying it would do so “until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies” that have marked previous releases.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued to ramp up operations in the occupied West Bank, with IDF tanks seen moving into the territory for the first time in decades this past week.
Israeli bulldozers have demolished large swaths of the Jenin refugee camp and appeared to be clearing wide roads through its previously narrow alleyways, Reuters reported, with thousands of Palestinians leaving their homes in Jenin and nearby Tulkarm.
