Pope's frequent calls to Catholic church made him revered figure in war-battered Gaza

Pope Francis' compassion for Gaza's Christian community during war made him a beloved figure in the territory.

In the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis had a frequent evening ritual: He would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war.

That small act of compassion made a big impression on Gaza's tiny Christian community and was why he was remembered at his death on Monday (April 21, 2025) as a beloved father figure in the beleaguered territory.

“I was deeply saddened. He was our biggest supporter after God,” said Suheil Abu Dawoud, a 19-year-old Christian in Gaza.

Pope Francis “always healed our wounds and asked us to be strong,” he said. “He was always praying for us.”

In his last public appearance, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group. A fervent advocate of interfaith relations, he also urged Hamas to release the dozens of Israeli hostages it is holding and condemned growing global antisemitism.

In his Easter message, Pope Francis expressed his “closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.”

While noting the growing antisemitism, he added: "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.”