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Since October 9, 2023, two days after the bombings began in Gaza, Francis has been in daily contact with the Holy Family Church.
It is the only Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip and is located in the northern part of Gaza City.
The nightly calls take place via WhatsApp at 8pm local time in Gaza.
Vatican News has reported that the calls are a way for the Pope to stay connected with the parish community, where over 600 people are sheltered, both Christians and Muslims, within its church and school.
It was during a weekly general audience last month when Francis revealed he daily calls the parish in Gaza.
At the end of the general audience on 22 January, a few days after the ceasefire in Gaza began, Francis said: “Yesterday I called – I do it every day – the parish in Gaza. There are 600 people there, it’s a very courageous parish.
“And they told me, ‘Today we had lentils with chicken.’ Something they were not used to doing in these times. They were happy.”
He added that “war is always a defeat”.
That night, the Vatican released a video of Francis speaking to the parish in Gaza on a video call.
“We want to thank you and we will pray for you,” Father Yusuf told Francis from Gaza.
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Francis was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with bronchitis last Friday, but the Holy See revealed yesterday that he had developed pneumonia in both of his lungs.
Speaking to Vatican News, Argentine-born Father Gabriel Romanelli remarked: “The Holy Father called us the first two days of hospitalisation, people were waiting at 8 p.m. Gaza time as always.
“Although we had a blackout in the whole area of Gaza City, he insisted and managed to contact us with a video-call.”
Vatican News reports that as Francis checked in on the Gaza parishioners and imparted his blessing, the people expressed their feelings of closeness to him.
“This is one of the fundamental points of the Holy See: no deportations,” Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said on the sidelines of an Italy-Vatican meeting.
“The solution in our opinion is that of two states because this also means giving hope to the population,” he added.
Meanwhile, Palestinian artisans created the “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024” which was displayed in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.
Representatives from the Embassy of the State of Palestine were present for its inauguration on 7 December, as were those who created the Nativity.
Pope Francis prays in front of Nativity Scene crafted in the West Bank city of Bethlehem in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The wooden figurine of the baby Jesus was swaddled in a keffiyeh and Francis spent some time praying before it.
As is customary, the figurine of Jesus was then removed from the Nativity scene until Christmas Eve.
However, when the public was next able to view the Nativity scene in the Paul VI Hall on 4 January, the keffiyeh had been removed.
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