Israel said Thursday that it “deeply regrets” a deadly strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church, which killed three people.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which has jurisdiction for Latin-rite Catholics in Gaza, said the Holy Family Church was struck by Israel on Thursday morning. The church has become a shelter for the enclave’s tiny Christian community amid the 20-month war.

The office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy.”

“Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting civilians and holy sites,” the office added in a statement.

In a Vatican telegram on Thursday, a church official said Pope Leo XIV is “deeply saddened” by the strike.

Calling the hit a “military attack,” the Vatican’s Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said: “In commending the souls of the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God, the Holy Father prays for the consolation of those who grieve and for the recovery of the injured.”

Netanyahu’s office said he was “grateful to Pope Leo for his words of comfort.”

The prime minister also told US President Donald Trump in a phone call that the church incident was a “mistake,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing Thursday. Asked about Trump’s view on the strike, Leavitt described it as “not a positive reaction.”

The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged it hit the church “mistakenly.”

“An initial inquiry into reports regarding injured individuals in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, suggests that fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly,” the IDF said in a statement on Thursday.

“The cause of the incident is under review.”

Church ‘directly’ hit

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News that the church was hit “directly” by a tank Thursday morning.

The parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, was injured in the attack, the patriarchate said, alongside a number of others. Romanelli is an Argentine who has ministered in Gaza for close to 30 years.

It named the three killed as Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad and Najwa Abu Dawood. Several others were also injured.

Images verified by CNN showed the church was damaged in the attack, but the crucifix on top of the church’s roof appeared intact.

The church has come under attack once before amid Israel’s war in Gaza. In December 2023, an Israeli military sniper shot and killed two women who were sheltering inside, according to the patriarchate.

The church is known internationally for its close connection with the late Pope Francis, who would call the parish almost daily as the war raged on.

Only around 1,000 Christians are thought to have lived in Gaza before the October 7 attacks, which is overwhelmingly a Muslim territory.

Meanwhile ceasefire talks to end the war in Gaza, which Palestinian officials say has killed over 58,000 people, are continuing. (CNN)

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The Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka has clarified that controversial Sri Lankan Pastor, Jerome Fernando is not a Bishop of the Catholic Church.

The clarification was issued via a statement responding to recent media reports of Pastor Jerome Fernando being appointed a Bishop. 

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka further said that Pastor Jerome Fernando, who has no official apostolic succession in the Catholic Church, is not a Bishop of the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka urged its followers not to be deceived by such information. 

In November this year, it was reported that the Synod of the Global Apostolic Dioceses Churches USA, the internationally recognized Inter-Government Organization with over four decades of Christian ministry work, consecrated Prophet H.E. Dr. Jerome Fernando as an ordained Bishop.

Prophet Jerome Fernando was ordained as a Bishop during a ceremony held at the Miracle Dome in Katunayake. (Newswire)

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Pastor Jerome Fernando who heads a religious congregation is neither a Catholic priest nor connected to the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka, the Archdiocese of Colombo clarified today.

Speaking to the media, Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando stated that it has been observed that a recent statement made by Pastor Jerome has posed a threat to religious harmony in the country.

Stating that every individual has the right to practice and preach their favoured religion, Reverend Father Cyril Gamini further stated, however, they do not possess the right to make derogatory or controversial statements against another religion.

“The controversial statement made by Pastor Jerome may influence the thoughts of his followers against another religion and may result in opposing views of the religion,” he warned.

Reverend Father Cyril Gamini added that the Archdiocese of Colombo further requests the public to be vigilant of people instigating racial and religious tensions in the country.

The clarification comes after video footage made rounds on social media over the weekend showing Pastor Jerome Fernando making derogatory statements related to Lord Buddha causing uproar among followers of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

"Public should be vigilant of people instigating racial and religious tensions in the country" Archdiocese of Colombo slams Pastor Jerome pic.twitter.com/qDwLQBnK4J

— NewsWire (@NewsWireLK) May 16, 2023

Video : https://web.facebook.com/watch/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=2Rb1fB&v=765983278512287  (NewsWire)

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