Jerusalem bishop shares distress over conditions in Gaza after accidental Israeli strike

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa (L) and a members of a Christian visit the Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City on July 18, 2025. / Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 19, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).Bishop William Shomali, the auxiliary bishop for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said this week the community has been "very distressed" following the bombing of Holy Family Church in Gaza, with the prelate calling for the protection of nearby Chirstian villages. On July 17, the Israeli military bombed the only Catholic parish in Gaza. The strike killed three and injured nine, including the parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli. The Israel Defense Forces subsequently apologized for the strike, stating that "fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly." Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa later seemed to imply that the strike was intentional, telling an Italian newspa...

St. Thomas More's skull may be exhumed from Canterbury vault for saint's 500th anniversary

St. Thomas More. / Credit: Public domainCanterbury, England, Jul 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).The skull of St. Thomas More may be exhumed and preserved to coincide with the 500th anniversary of his historic martyrdom, according to a spokesperson for St. Dunstan's Church in Canterbury, England, the Anglican church in which the relic reportedly currently rests.As the church begins the initial steps in a "permissions process," Sue Palmer, churchwarden at St. Dunstan Parochial Church Council (PCC), told CNA the council welcomes input from everyone interested in the saint and "would very much welcome communication with the Vatican.""It is unusual to have any relics in an Anglican church, especially those of a Catholic saint, and the PCC see this as an opportunity for ecumenical outreach and cooperation," she said.After More was beheaded in 1535 on the orders of King Henry VIII, his head was initially placed on a spike and displayed on London Bridge as a warning to those who dared to ch...

9 people sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder of Myanmar priest

The funeral of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win (left), who was martyred in Myanmar on Feb. 14, 2025. / Credit: Archdiocese of MandalayACI Prensa Staff, Jul 18, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).The Vatican news agency Fides reported that nine people were sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of a 44-year-old priest in Myanmar, a crime that shocked a country that has been enveloped in civil war since 2021.According to the article published July 17, a court affiliated with the Ministry of Justice of the National Unity Government (NUG), the government in exile that leads the opposition, sentenced the nine defendants for the murder of Father Donald Martin Ye Naing Win, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mandalay, who was killed on Feb. 14 on the grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in the Shwe Bo district in the Sagaing region.According to investigations, those convicted were part of local armed groups linked to the People's Defense Force (PDF), the resistance force that controls the "...

U.S. bishops stress need for immediate ceasefire after deadly attack on Gaza parish

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. / Credit: USCCB videoWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 18, 2025 / 16:00 pm (CNA).Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has called for peace and an "immediate ceasefire" following the bombing of the only Catholic church in Gaza."With the Holy Father, the Catholic bishops of the United States are deeply saddened to learn about the deaths and injuries at Holy Family Church in Gaza caused by a military strike," Broglio wrote in a Thursday statement. The July 17 Israeli strike killed three people and injured nine others, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli."Our first concern, naturally, goes out to Father Gabriel Romanelli and all his parishioners, most especially to the families of those killed," Broglio said. "Our prayers are for them during these tragic times."The statement follows a message from Pope Leo XIV on the social media plat...

Catholic bishops seek relief from federal abortion rule in appeals court

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 17, 2025 / 19:30 pm (CNA).The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is asking a federal district court to block the government from enforcing any portion of an abortion "accommodation" rule against them while they appeal a court order that provided only partial relief from the rule.Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) abortion accommodation rule, the USCCB can deny workplace accommodations for employees who obtain purely elective abortions, but they may still have to provide accommodations for abortions related to treating medical conditions.Qualifying medical conditions are broad. According to the EEOC rule, conditions include "modest" or even "minor" anxiety, depression, nausea, dehydration, and changes in hormone levels that result from a ...

8 things to know about the only Catholic parish in Gaza

Holy Mass at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, led by the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli during the Advent season. December 2024. / Courtesy of Father Gabriel RomanelliCNA Staff, Jul 18, 2025 / 04:10 am (CNA).A reported strike on the only Catholic Church in Gaza killed three people and injured nine others July 17, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM. Among the injured was the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli. Pictures showed damage to the church's roof and windows. Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, the parish has been a refuge for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Here are eight things to know about Holy Family Church in Gaza:  The priests of the Latin Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza with the group of altar servers. December 2024. Courtesy of Father Gabriel Romanelli1) The parish is the only Catholic Church in Gaza  Holy Family parish was built in the 1960s. Before it became a shelter, th...

Violence against Christians escalates in Syria

In a scene marked by deep sorrow and righteous anger, churches across Syria held funeral services for the victims of the suicide bombing that targeted St. Elias Church in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attack claimed the lives of 25 people and left dozens injured. / Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed. Violence against Christians escalates in SyriaChristian communities in Syria continue to experience escalating violence, with one church severely damaged and another narrowly escaping what would have been a fatal car bombing attack, according to CNA's Arabic-language news partner ACI MENA.Vandals desecrated the altar at Mar Michael (Saint Michael) Church in the southern Syrian province of Sweida, smashed Christian symbols, and set fire to its ceiling and walls, charring the upper icons and the central cross above the altar. In ...

Gaza's only Catholic priest among injured in Israeli attack

Father Gabriel Romanelli with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrating Christmas Mass at Holy Family Parish in Gaza, in December 2024. / Credit: Courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.Vatican City, Jul 17, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).The Holy Family Church in Gaza was hit Thursday amid a new wave of Israeli bombings, leaving several people dead and injured, including the church's pastor, Gabriel Romanelli, a native of Argentina.The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the incident in an official statement. The attack left three dead, according to Caritas Jerusalem.One of the victims was Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, 60, the parish's maintenance manager who was in the courtyard at the time of the explosion. The other two fatalities were Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, an 84-year-old woman, and Najwa Abu Daoud, 70, who were receiving psychological care at the time inside the tent of Caritas' psycho-social support project.According to Avvenire, th...

The Holy See at the UN calls for urgent measures to protect families

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia. / Credit: Holy See Mission to the United NationsVatican City, Jul 17, 2025 / 15:30 pm (CNA).The permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, participated in this week's 'High-Level Political Forum' with two speeches at UN headquarters in New York.The July 13-15 event focused on the UN's sustainable development goals, according to Vatican News. In particular, Caccia addressed Goal 3, which seeks to guarantee access to healthcare, and Goal 5, on "gender equality and empowering women."The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an action plan approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. It is structured around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets to be achieved within a 15-year period.Among these goals are "No poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, gender equality, and reduced inequalities." While many of these goals enjoy broad Catholic su...

Catholic Sen. Tim Kaine blasts GOP for slashing aid funding

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on July 15, 2025. / Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesCNA Newsroom, Jul 17, 2025 / 15:58 pm (CNA).U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) delivered a speech on the Senate floor on July 16 denouncing cuts to federal funding of faith-based organizations that play critical roles in refugee resettlement and international humanitarian aid. The Rescissions Act of 2025, pushed by both President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, proposes $9.4 billion in cuts to previously appropriated federal funding, $800 million of which supports faith-based organizations like Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as well as World Vision, an evangelical organization, the two largest faith-based organizations that help resettle legal immigrants.The rescissions bill, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives 214-212 on June 12 and passed in an amended form in the Senate on July 17, threatens to dismantle fundin...