Nairobi, 27 July, 2025 / 8:54 PM
The leadership of the Religious Institute of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) has condemned the ongoing tragedy in Gaza.
In a statement published on July 26, members of the MCCJ General Council, who write on behalf of the Comboni Missionaries across the globe, “express with deep emotion our sorrow for the tragedy that continues to affect the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip.”
“Gaza deserves life, not destruction; it yearns for peace, not war,” MCCJ members, who on February 21 elected Fr. Luigi Fernando Codianni, a native of Italy, as their new Superior General, say in the statement.
They add, “Every life lost, every child injured, every family destroyed represents an open wound for all humanity. We firmly denounce all forms of violence against civilians, wherever it occurs.”
“No justification can erase the right to life, dignity, and peace,” MCCJ members further say, adding that they join in the “silent cry of those who have lost everything, yet continue to hope for justice.”
They express their togetherness with all those affected in violent conflicts, and note, “Solidarity is not just a gesture: it is a concrete commitment to a different future.”
Referring to Gaza, MCCJ members also call for an “immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and full access to humanitarian aid.”
“Every day without peace is a failure for the entire international community and an affront to our shared humanity. As children of God and brothers and sisters of all, we cannot remain indifferent in the face of such pain,” they say in the July 26 statement.
On July 17, an Israeli strike hit the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza, killing three people and injuring many others, including a Catholic Priest.
The attack on the Catholic Church in Gaza has been widely condemned.
On July 18, members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) condemned the assault as unjustifiable, particularly in light of the country's already small and vulnerable Christian population.
Bishop William Shomali, the Auxiliary Bishop for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, has reportedly said that the community has been “very distressed” following the bombing and called for the protection of nearby Christian villages.
The Israel Defense Forces subsequently apologized for the strike, stating that “fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly.” Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa later seemed to imply that the strike was intentional, telling an Italian newspaper that “everybody (in Gaza) believes it wasn’t a mistake.”
The day after the strike, Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III visited Gaza, providing “spiritual comfort, moral comfort, and also material comfort, which is much needed.”
Pope Leo XIV reportedly received a phone call from the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, following the July 17 Israeli army attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza.
During the conversation, the Holy Father is said to have renewed his call for the urgent reactivation of the negotiation process between the warring parties to establish a ceasefire and end the war.
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