Vatican releases footage of Pope holding video call with Catholic parish in Gaza
Pope Francis made a video call Wednesday night to the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, continuing a nightly ritual to stay connected with the community amid the ongoing conflict, Vatican News reported.

The pontiff has called the parish every evening since Oct. 9, 2023, two days after the Israeli attacks on Gaza began, the agency said. The Holy Family Parish, located within its church and school, has become a refuge for more than 600 people, including Christians and Muslims.
During the call, Pope Francis spoke with Father Youssef, the parish priest, asking about their dinner. A video shared by the agency showed parishioners, including children, women, and men, gathering to greet the pope.
In one interaction, Pope greeted a local doctor saying "Salaamu Alaykum," (traditional Muslim greeting meaning peace be upon you) to which the doctor also responded in Arabic. The pontiff also waved and playfully interacted with the children in the background, the footage showed.
The Vatican described the pope’s daily calls as a way to express solidarity and offer hope to the Gaza community during a time of immense hardship.
Most Read News
-
North Korean military training delegation to visit Russi
-
Billionaire Musk vows to launch new political party if c
-
UK foreign secretary praises Türkiye's efforts to broker
-
Trump says Musk would ‘head back to South Africa’ withou
-
Ukraine’s premier urges more demining support in meeting
-
European diplomats visit West Bank town after deadly att
-
Poland’s president calls on gov’t to stop entry of migra
-
US may remove Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group from terror lis
-
Israeli prime minister says he will visit Washington nex
-
Thai premier suspended over leaked audio amid border dis