Before leaving Castel Gandolfo this evening, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV stopped to talk to some journalists, and answered some questions on international current affairs.

By Vatican News

“We must encourage everyone to leave weapons behind, and to leave behind the money-making that is behind every war.’

Those were the Pope’s words to journalists as he left his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo this evening, after spending 16 days there, and returned to the Vatican. Pope Leo, who returned shortly before 9pm, spoke with reporters who were awaiting his departure and answered their questions.

His Excellency President of the Lebanese Republic Joseph Aoun received Reverend Joseph Kassab, Head of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon, and Memeber of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), at the Presidential Palace.

During the meeting, President Aoun described the current situation as both critical and sensitive, stressing the need for national awareness and unified stands to preserve Lebanon’s unity—its land and its people—and to safeguard its sovereignty and independence.

His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa,
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

Greetings of affection and esteem,

I extend to you, and to all our people in Gaza and throughout Palestine, my heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathy for the death and injury of several members of your parish in the aggressive bombing that targeted the Holy Family Latin Church in Gaza. This is the same church that has offered significant humanitarian and relief support to members of the community—both Muslims and Christians—including the provision of aid, sheltering hundreds of displaced individuals who lost their homes, and supplying as much food and emergency medical care as possible in cooperation with medical teams from associations and hospitals such as Caritas and others…

Statement by His Beatitude Theophilos III, The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
Delivered at the Opening of the Press Conference on the Pastoral Visit to Gaza

Jerusalem – July 22, 2025 

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, 

Esteemed members of the press, 

Peace be upon you all, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—He who “walked among the sick and the sorrowful,” and who taught us that “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). 

We gather today with hearts burdened by sorrow, yet steadfast in faith, following our pastoral mission to Gaza, a land bruised by prolonged affliction and pierced by the cries of its people. Together with His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and in the company of devoted clergy, we entered as servants of the suffering Body of Christ, walking among the wounded, the bereaved, the displaced, and the faithful whose dignity remains unbroken despite their agony. 

There, we encountered a people crushed by the weight of war, yet carrying within them the image of God. Among the broken walls of the Church of the Holy Family and the wounded hearts of its faithful, we witnessed both profound grief and unyielding hope. We knelt in prayer beside the afflicted and laid our hands upon those yearning for comfort, guided by the words of Saint Paul: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2)… 

Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

Opening statement of His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa 
Patriarch of Jerusalem for the Latins 

at the Joint Press Conference 
Notre Dame of Jerusalem Centre 

 22 July 2025 

“We are sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.”

(2 Corinthians 6,10) 

Dear brothers and sisters,

Patriarch Theophilos III and myself, have returned from Gaza with broken hearts. But also encouraged by the testimony of many people we met. 

We entered a place of devastation, but also of wonderful humanity. We walked through the dust of ruins, past collapsed buildings and tents everywhere: in courtyards, alleyways, on the streets and on the beach — tents that have become homes for those who have lost everything. We stood among families who have lost count of the days of exile because they see no horizon for a return. Children talked and played without batting an eyelid —they were already used to the noise of the bombing. 

And yet, in the midst of all this, we encountered something deeper than the destruction: the dignity of the human spirit that refuses to be extinguished. We met mothers preparing food for others, nurses treating wounds with gentleness, and people of all faiths still praying to the God who sees and never forgets… 

Jerusalem, July 22, 2025 - The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem held a joint press conference, highlighting the historic pastoral visit of His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, The Patriarch of Jerusalem. Together, they carried a message of consolation and hope to a grieving people, and a cry of conscience to a silent world.

A Moving Depiction of a Tragic Reality

The conference opened with a video prepared by the Latin Patriarchate’s Media Office, featuring real scenes from Gaza that illustrated the severe humanitarian suffering and the vast destruction left by the war. Special focus was given to the Holy Family Latin Parish, which has become a refuge for dozens of displaced families—Christians and Muslims alike.

Damascus, July 19, 2025

For days now, before the eyes of the entire world, violence has been afflicting our people in Swayda. For days, attempts at resolution and calming the situation have been ongoing, to no avail. What is happening in Suwayda disgraces humanity.

Since the outbreak of the recent events, Patriarch JOHN X has been closely monitoring the situation on the ground through direct and continuous communication with Metropolitan Antonios Saad, Archbishop of Bosra, Hauran, and Jabal al-Arab. His Beatitude is also following the situation through contacts with all local authorities and communities in the area and its surroundings, foremost among them the Sheikh al-Aql of the Druze community in Lebanon.

On July 20, 2025, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches celebrated the Holy Qurobo and the Funeral Service of the Thrice Blessed Archbishop Mor Gregorius Saliba Shemoun, at the Lady of the Light Cathedral in Erbil.

The Holy Synod of Jerusalem was convened at the Patriarchate in Jerusalem on Monday, July 21, 2025 (West), in its session chaired by His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine and Jordan, in the presence of the honorable members of the Holy Synod. His Beatitude discussed with the members of the Holy Synod several issues pertaining to the Patriarchate’s administrative, ecclesiastical, and pastoral affairs, which serve the Patriarchate, its monasteries, shrines, churches, clergy, and people.

Amid the ruins of war and the pain of long days, the Holy Family Latin Parish in Gaza continues to stand firm—offering a living witness to faith and Christian resilience. The presence of their shepherd among them became a source of comfort and strength, as on the morning of Friday, July 18, 2025, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, paid a joint solidarity visit to Gaza at the head of an Ecclesial delegation, bearing a message of pastoral communion from the Churches of the Holy Land and reaffirming their spiritual and human closeness to the people of Gaza.

Cardinal Pizzaballa has long been committed to visiting the Holy Family Parish in Gaza twice a year. Yet this most recent visit became, in itself, a miracle and a door of hope amid the ongoing conflict. The Cardinal remained with the parish community for three days, during which he closely followed their spiritual and material needs and worked earnestly to address them. He listened with deep paternal compassion to the stories and concerns of his parishioners.

Dear brothers and Sisters, 

I am happy to be again among you in these tragic days. It was important to be here with Patriarch Theophilos, to show the unity of the Church and the solidarity of all the Churches in the world with you. The other Churches of Jerusalem are a bit jealous of Patriarch Theophilos and me, because they all wanted to be here. This is to say that everyone is present here with you in spirit and ready to support. Allow me to reiterate again that we as Christians, don’t think only about Christians. Our heart is open to all. It is important to stress that. We are thankful for all what we have been able to do for you here, but we are also concerned for all what is happening in all Gaza. 

You are not forgotten. You are in the hearts of all Churches and Christians of the world. When I get back to Jerusalem, I can assure you that we will do all what is possible to stop this senseless war. We will work on it, and in the end, we will succeed. 

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has called His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem enters Gaza to visit the Holy Family Catholic Church after the Israeli strike that killed 3 people and injured several others taking refuge there.

By Devin Watkins

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, made a visit on Friday to the only Catholic parish in Gaza, along with His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

"So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house". (Luke 1:23)

With hearts that find solace in the Lord’s victory over death and in the promise of resurrection and eternal life, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, announces the passing of His Eminence Mor Gregorios Saliba Shamoun, Patriarchal Advisor, who departed this life on Friday, July 18, 2025, having completed his days of service with faithfulness and love.

Jerusalem – July 18, 2025

His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and honorary President of the Middel East Council of Churches, and His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, commenced this morning a pastoral and humanitarian visit to the Gaza Strip, accompanied by a high-ranking Christian delegation. The visit aims to closely follow the condition of their faithful, who have been enduring a relentless humanitarian catastrophe for over twenty-one months, and to directly oversee the relief efforts provided by the churches to support the steadfastness of those in Gaza who have lost their homes, safety, and access to medicine. This visit stands as a living embodiment of the unity of the Church in the face of the deepening human suffering in the Strip.

His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem, is likewise undertaking a visit to Gaza, joining his brother in Christ, Patriarch Theophilos III, in a powerful expression of ecclesial unity and fraternal solidarity in the face of the deepening human suffering in the Strip.

PRESS Communiqué
Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
18 July 2025

Jerusalem – Gaza

Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III

head Ecclesiastical Delegation to Gaza Following Strike on Church Compound

In the aftermath of the grievous strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, together with His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, entered Gaza this morning as part of an ecclesiastical delegation, expressing the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza.

Jerusalem Patriarchate 

July 17, 2025

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its deepest condemnation and denunciation of the strike that targeted the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City. This strike caused extensive damage and casualties to the parish complex, endangering the lives of innocent people, especially those with special needs and displaced persons seeking safe shelter within the church.

Targeting a holy site currently sheltering approximately 600 displaced persons, the majority of whom are children and 54 people with special needs, is a flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites, which are supposed to provide a safe haven in times of war.

The bombing destroyed large parts of the complex, and those with special needs were forced to evacuate the area, some of whom were unable to receive the respirators they rely on for survival, posing a direct threat to their lives…

Luke 10:38-42

In salvation history, something new happens every time the Lord enters a person’s home and life.

It can happen that an ordinary man or woman becomes a leader (like Moses, for example), that a barren woman becomes pregnant (like Sarah), that a dead person is resurrected (like Lazarus), that the story, in short, takes a completely different turn...

When this happens, we usually find ourselves on the brink of despair: a people long enslaved and exhausted, a barren couple without hope, enemies who humiliate and leave no escape. This happens so that it becomes clear that it is God who works salvation. And it is also clear that God intervenes gratuitously, without asking for anything in return. He chooses a people, a family, a person precisely because of their poverty, their need for salvation, because he loves them…

What is the story of Our Lady of Mount Carmel? [1]

Mount Carmel has been a place of Prayer and closeness to God since the time of the prophet Elijah in the 10th century before Christ (cf. 1 Kings 18:41ff). It was also the site where Elijah’s Prayer brought an end to the drought and famine that had befallen [Israel]. Because of this, the Carmelites consider Elijah one of their spiritual fathers.

The spiritual tradition continued with Christian hermits living on the mountain in persistent Prayer. In the 12th century, the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was officially founded.

In the 13th century, during a time of persecution, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite Prior, on July 16, 1251, giving him the Brown Scapular. She promised: “This is a privilege for you and the order: whoever dies wearing the Scapular will be saved.”

At the conclusion of the Angelus in Castel Gandolfo, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV asked everyone to pray for all those who are suffering and in need due to war, while recalling Saturday's beatification in Barcelona of Marist Brother Licarion May, who was killed in the early 1900s out of hatred for the faith.

By Salvatore Cernuzio

Following the catechesis of Sunday's Angelus, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV called on everyone to pray for peace and to remember all who are suffering due to violence and war and find themselves in need.

The words echoed what he had expressed earlier in his homily during the Mass over which he presided on Sunday morning at the parish of Saint Thomas of Villanova when he spoke about the wounded man in the parable of the Good Samaritan and how violence and poverty destroy dreams and lives.