Pope Leo XIV renews his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians.

“I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” the pontiff said at the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer from his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

Leo also expressed his "deep sorrow" for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest.

“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,” the pope added.

The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating.

“We need to dialogue and abandon weapons,” the pope said earlier Sunday, after presiding over Mass at the nearby Cathedral of Albano.

“The world no longer tolerates war,” Leo told reporters waiting for him outside the cathedral.

Asked about his phone conversation on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Leo said, “We insisted on the need to protect the sacred places of all religions.”

The pope will remain in Castel Gandolfo until Tuesday evening, when he returns to his Vatican residence, a Vatican spokesman said Sunday.