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Israel-Hamas war

Pope Francis meets with families of the hostages taken by Hamas on Wed., Nov. 22, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis Meets with Families of Israeli Hostages Being Held in Gaza

Nov 22, 2023

Pope Francis’ meetings with the Israeli and Palestinian delegations occurred as news emerged that a four-day cease-fire agreement had been reached in which Hamas agreed to free at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Pope Francis met with relatives of Palestinians living in Gaza on Wed., Nov. 22, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Meets with Relatives of Palestinians Living in Gaza

Nov 22, 2023

The pope's meeting with families of Palestinians in Gaza took place on the same day the Holy Father met wth relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists.

Weekday Mass is celebrated in the Church of Sts. Simeon and Anne in Jerusalem, where the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community (keilla) gathers together. | Credit: Marinella Bandini

"A battle inside us": Hebrew Catholics in the Holy Land Wrestle with Challenges of War

Nov 19, 2023

The Israel-Hamas war has brought challenges to Hebrew Catholics in Israel, but the diverse and vibrant community holds on to its faith as a guide and consolation.

Pope Francis invoke the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Peace and Mother of Mercy at a prayer vigil for peace in St. Peter's Basilica, Friday, Oct. 27. | Credit: Courtney Mares

Pope Francis to meet with families of Israeli hostages and Palestinians with relatives in Gaza

Nov 18, 2023

Vatican spokesman says that with these meetings, "exclusively humanitarian in nature," Pope Francis wants to show his spiritual closeness to the suffering of each person.

Credit: Hostage and Missing Families Forum

Mother of Israeli Hostage Thanks Pope Francis for His Efforts to Free Captives in Gaza

Nov 10, 2023

“Holy Father, thank you for taking the time to try to help us free the 240 human beings who are buried alive under Gaza,” Rachel Goldberg Polin said in a video.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. | Credit: Christian Gennari / OESSH

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Asks for Donations in Face of Suffering, Hatred in Holy Land

Nov 7, 2023

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa explained that it is “charity and prayer” that have animated the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem “in times of extreme hardship.”

Workers prepare to distribute medical aid and medicines to Nasser Medical Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, which recently arrived through the Rafah crossing on Oct. 29, 2023, in Khan Yunis, Gaza. | Credit: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

Needs in Gaza "immense," aid "meager and inconsistent": UN Refugee Director

Oct 30, 2023

The U.N. said Sunday that “thousands of desperate people” had “stormed U.N.-operated warehouses” and other aid distribution centers in the Gaza region.

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 18, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Seven Ways to Participate in Day of Prayer and Fasting Called for by Pope Francis

Oct 26, 2023

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Holy Land, Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 27. Here’s how to participate.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, on Oct. 20, 2023. | Credit: Gianfranco Pinto Ostuni

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Mourns 18 Dead in Gaza Christian Church Bombing

Oct 23, 2023

“War and bombs have never solved problems; on the contrary, they always create new ones,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said.

Pope Francis delivers his Sunday Angelus message to about 20,000 faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 22, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis at Sunday Angelus: "We must not be slaves to any earthly power"

Oct 22, 2023

During Sunday’s Angelus, Pope Francis spoke to the faithful on the importance of the correct relationship between the Church and the state.

Pope Francis meets with World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder at the Vatican on Oct. 19, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

World Jewish Congress Leader Asks Pope to Use "moral authority" to Help Israeli Hostages

Oct 19, 2023

In his meeting with the pope, Ronald Lauder urged the pontiff “to use your power, to use your strength, to get these hostages released.”

Pope Francis presides over his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 18, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Announces Prayer Vigil, Day of Fasting for Peace in Israel-Hamas War

Oct 18, 2023

An interfaith vigil will take place at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 in St. Peter’s Square, where the faithful will join the pope in “an hour of prayer in a spirit of penance.”

Smoke increases after Israeli airstrikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 10, 2023. | Credit: Anas-Mohammed/Shutterstock

What You Need to Know about the War Between Israel and Hamas

Oct 18, 2023

The ongoing tension in the Middle East has flared up again in a war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip.