Jerusalem patriarch hails pope’s commitment to Gaza

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, praised Pope Francis’s support for Gazans and the Catholic community amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Pizzaballa noted that Francis’s dedication to peace and care for the marginalized reflected the essence of his papacy, highlighted by his frequent communication with the Gaza community during the war. Following Francis’s death, Pizzaballa will lead a requiem mass in Jerusalem before heading to Rome to participate in the conclave to elect a new pope.