Gaza City, Palestine – For Kamal Anton, 72, Pope Francis was a source of comfort and support.
Kamal has had to take refuge since the beginning of the war in the same complex of the Catholic Church in the city of Gaza, the Santa Familia church, which his wife and daughter were killed by an Israeli sniper.
That was in December 2023, two months after the beginning of the Israel War. Anton and the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza have often felt abandoned in the 18 months of conflict, in which 50,000 Palestinians have killed, hoping that the end of the war still feels remote.
But the late Pope, who died at 88 in the city of the Vatican on Monday after a battle against the disease, was in constant contact with the small Christian community of Gaza. Before his illness, the hero calls every night with those who take refuge in the church, and continued to spread, in a less regular base, just after he got sick.
Kamal recalled his call more recently on Saturday, only two days before his death. Pope Francis was greeting church members for Easter.
“Duration his call, he prayed for peace and resilience for us in Gaza,” Kamal said. “He never forgot the word ‘peace’ in any of his calls with us through war. His support included all of us: Christians and Muslims equally. He prayed daily for our security.”
Palestinian defender
A deep sense of complaint and sadness permeates the Sagrada Familia church, where approximately 550 displaced Palestinian Christians continue to seek refuge.
Israel has attacked the church already its neighboring school several times the war, including an attack of July 2024 in which four people killed. Another church, the Greek Orthodox Church of San Porphyrias, has also been bombed.
But the Santa Familia church is still a shelter. People meet within the Church every day, piano music accompanies the prayer of the anthem, and people greet Father Gabriel Romanelli. He is the parish priest, an Argentine who came to Gaza to direct the church 15 years ago.
After the death of the Pope, those of the Church have been seen largely in black, the color of the duel.
The loss of his church leader was an event solemn enough, but the Palestinian Christians know that they have also lost one of their best defenders: a world leader who has long supported the Palestinian cause for a long time, and has won Forete or Israel or Palestinians of Israel.
In his last public speech delivered in his name in Easter, Francis requested peace in Gaza and urged the sides at war to “accept a high fire, free the hostages and provide help to people who yearn for a peaceful future.”
Father Romanelli told Al Jazeera that the loss of Pope Francis was a tragedy for Christians around the world, and particularly in Gaza.
He remembered that Saturday phone call with the Pope.
“He said he was praying for us, supporting us, and thanked us for our prayers,” Romanelli said. “The people of the church waited for their call daily. I would talk to the children and assured them. It was deeply human and incredible of support, special, for the doors of war.”
Catastrophe
Kamal said that the support of Pope Francis was also material, in the form of help that reached Gaza until Israel blocked all the entry of goods in Gaza in March, just before he broke a unilaterally alilate.
“Everyone in Gaza knows how much the Vatican supported us,” Kamal said. “We always share it with our Muslim neighbors too.”
Kamal’s Palestinian Christian fellow Palestinian, Maher Terzi, 74, is also mourning.
Maher, who has been displaced since the first week of the war, sat in the mourning hall when he spoke with Al Jazeera.
“The US strength.” Make said. “He told us that we were not afraid that he was with us and that he would never abandon us, whatever happens.”
“He encouraged us to cling to our country and promised to help us rebuild our destroyed houses,” Maher added. “His death is a catastrophe and a shock during the duration of us, such a difficult time.”
