Vatican City: Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, has made a powerful call for an end to the ongoing violence in Gaza, stating that every life lost in the conflict is mourned and remembered. His message came just hours after Pope Leo, during the Sunday Angelus, solemnly named three individuals killed in the recent Israeli strike on the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza a gesture that Parolin said symbolically embraced every victim of the bloodshed in the region.
Speaking to Vatican News from Fiera di Primiero in northern Italy, where he is currently spending his holiday, Cardinal Parolin emphasized that the Pope’s choice to mention the names of those victims was not limited to them alone. “In those names,” he said, “all the victims of Gaza’s suffering are represented. The Holy Father wished to give voice to every innocent life lost in this tragedy.”
Parolin strongly underscored the indiscriminate nature of the suffering in Gaza. “There is no difference between one victim and another,” he said. “Each and every person caught in this violent storm is equally worthy of remembrance, compassion, and justice. All are the victims of an unacceptable violence a violence that must be brought to an end without delay.”
The cardinal’s words reflected not only the Vatican’s concern for the Christian community in Gaza but also its deep humanitarian concern for the broader civilian population enduring this prolonged conflict. “We carry all of them in our hearts,” Parolin added. “We truly feel their pain, their presence, and their absence. For every single one of them regardless of religion or identity we implore the peace of God.”
He concluded with a heartfelt prayer that through the sacrifice and blood of those lost, the world may be moved to seek reconciliation and a permanent end to hostilities. His appeal echoed Pope Leo’s recurring pleas for peace in the Holy Land, calling once more on global leaders and communities to pursue the path of dialogue over destruction.