Latest news with #L'OsservatoreRomano
Herald Malaysia
4 days ago
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Letter from Gaza: The last word is for life and peace
L'Osservatore Romano's young contributor who was wounded in the Israeli attack on the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza, shares his recollection of the raid and the beginning, for him, of a path of recovery. He affirms that even in the face of violence and despair, the final word belongs not to war, but to life and peace. Jul 26, 2025 Displaced Palestinians flee Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City (AFP or licensors) By Suhail Abu DawoodHello everyone! I'm happy to be back with another article. Today is the 656th day of war, suffering, and death in our beloved Gaza Strip. Thursday, 24 July, marked exactly one week since I was injured while I walked to the Father's house inside our church compound... It was 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 17, for my lesson on spirituality. The bomb was so strong I couldn't protect myself from the fragments, so sadly, I was injured on my lower back. The fragment damaged my right leg and caused some serious injuries inside my stomach and abdomen. I felt an excruciating pain and dropped to the floor, face down, and I started bleeding heavily. Thank be to God, Father Gabriel and Father Iusuf saw that I was injured, so they called the ambulance to take me. Father Gabriel kneeled on the floor and held my head ( He has problems in his knees ), and Father Carlos was also with us as we prayed: O Lord Jesus, help us! O Holy Virgin Mary… Thanks to God, they managed to take me to the Al-Ahly Hospital 10 minutes after I was injured. The situation there was something I couldn't describe; it was so awful. They put me in an emergency tent on the floor, and my mother, my father, my aunt, and Father Carlos stayed with me all the time. Never in my life had I felt such pain and suffering. After so many days and months, I was wounded because of the war, and instead of bringing the news of the war to you, I was the news. I will not forget what the Fathers told me when the pain was intolerable. They said to me: Remember the Calvary! Jesus was there, on the cross, suffering and dying, and you too put all your sufferings and pain on the Cross. Finally, after 2 hours of waiting, at noon, I was taken into Surgery to be operated on. Many fragments inside my abdomen caused infections. The surgery took about 5 hours, and I woke up at 7:00 pm. Many people came to visit me: my family, parishioners, and, of course, our Fathers. I was totally out of focus. My injury isn't the end of writing, but it's the beginning of a new, empty page. As always, the last word isn't for death and war, but for life and peace. Because peace is stronger than war… To be continued.... --Vatican News
Herald Malaysia
21-07-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Catholic student wounded in Israeli strike: "Love is stronger than war"
Suhail Abo Dawood, a young Catholic student from Gaza seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish on July 17, Thursday, tells that his condition is improving. Love", says the young man, who writes a column for the Holy See's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, "is stronger than war". Jul 21, 2025 The Holy Family Catholic parish in Gaza (AFP or licensors) By Roberto Cetera - Ashdod Suhail greets us with a broad smile and much surprise, although Fr Romanelli in Gaza had already warned his mother Randa that we were coming. "We had said many times in these months that we would soon meet in Rome or in Gaza, when peace comes. But I never thought we would finally meet in this hospital in Ashdot, Israel." The young student from Gaza, who was seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish on Thursday morning, had been transported to the Israeli hospital that night, as it was impossible to give him proper care inside the Strip. His face is in pain but full of hope. His condition has improved after all the shrapnel that had wounded him, including damaging his internal organs, was removed. "Peace will return to Gaza. Because, as I wrote in my last article you published: Love is stronger than war", he says. With some difficulty, we manage to weave a conversation in which he also speaks about his future hopes, his desires, the articles he has in mind for the future, and above all the journey of faith he has undertaken and the discernment he is making - and which we will publish in Monday's edition of L'Osservatore Romano .--Vatican News
Herald Malaysia
21-07-2025
- Health
- Herald Malaysia
Catholic student wounded in Israeli strike:
Suhail Abo Dawood, a young Catholic student from Gaza seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish on July 17, Thursday, tells Vatican media that his condition is improving. Jul 21, 2025 The Holy Family Catholic parish in Gaza (AFP or licensors) By Roberto Cetera - Ashdod Suhail greets us with a broad smile and much surprise, although Fr Romanelli in Gaza had already warned his mother Randa that we were coming. "We had said many times in these months that we would soon meet in Rome or in Gaza, when peace comes. But I never thought we would finally meet in this hospital in Ashdot, Israel." The young student from Gaza, who was seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish on Thursday morning, had been transported to the Israeli hospital that night, as it was impossible to give him proper care inside the Strip. His face is in pain but full of hope. His condition has improved after all the shrapnel that had wounded him, including damaging his internal organs, was removed. "Peace will return to Gaza. Because, as I wrote in my last article you published: Love is stronger than war", he says. With some difficulty, we manage to weave a conversation in which he also speaks about his future hopes, his desires, the articles he has in mind for the future, and above all the journey of faith he has undertaken and the discernment he is making - and which we will publish in Monday's edition of L'Osservatore Romano .--Vatican News
The Journal
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Young man injured in Israeli attack on Catholic church in Gaza says ‘love is stronger than war'
A YOUNG MAN who was seriously injured in an Israeli attack on Gaza's only Catholic parish has said he hopes he can 'start his life again after the attack'. On Thursday, an Israeli tank attacked the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, which the late Pope Francis called daily. Over 600 people, both Christians and Muslims, are sheltered in the parish within its church and school – the majority are children and 54 have additional needs. Image of the damaged Holy Family Catholic church in Gaza Three people were killed and ten others were injured in the attack, including the parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli. Suhail Abo Dawood, a young Catholic student from Gaza, was also seriously injured. From Gaza, he contributes to L'Osservatore Romano with his column: 'I write to you from Gaza.' L'Osservatore Romano is the daily newspaper of Vatican City. His most recent column on 8 July was titled 'Love Is Stronger Than War'. In a video message from his hospital bed, he repeated this message to L'Osservatore Romano's Jerusalem correspondent, Roberto Cetera. Suhail is a young Catholic student from Gaza, seriously wounded in the Israeli attack on the Holy Family parish on Thursday. He writes a column for L'Osservatore Romano, the Holy See's newspaper. Although Suhail sustained shrapnel wounds to his internal organs during… — Vatican News (@VaticanNews) July 19, 2025 He sustained shrapnel wounds to his internal organs during Thursday's attack, but the shrapnel has now been removed and his condition has improved. He said he is feeling 'much better than yesterday' and thanked people for their prayers and messages. 'I hope I can start my life again and continue my vocation in Italy.' He added: 'As always, love is stronger than war.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret for the deaths, which he blamed on a 'stray' round after a phone call with US President Donald Trump. Advertisement However, the top Catholic official in the Middle East questioned whether is was a mistake. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News the IDF claimed that the strike by a tank was 'by mistake'. However, he added: 'We are not sure about this, they hit the church directly.' Catholic media outlet The Pillar reports that a tank was allegedly involved in the attack, and reporters in Gaza have reported that a drone strike had also taken place. Cardinal Pizzaballa told The Pillar that he is 'not sure' whether the attack was entirely accidental. In a social media post, Israel claimed it 'never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians'. Cardinal Pizzaballa also said the church compound had been a 'sanctuary' where people hoped to escape the 'horrors of the war'. El párroco argentino Gabriel Romanelli fue herido luego de que atacaran la iglesia Sagrada Familia en Gaza. El bombardeo dejó a dos muertos y cuatro heridos. 📹 Vía: @CatholicArena — Corta (@somoscorta) July 17, 2025 Yesterday, he brought with tonnes of food aid, first aid kits and medical equipment for the Holy Family Church community and other families in need. He also assisted in evacuating people injured in the attack. Pope Leo XIV spoke to Netanyahu on the phone yesterday morning and is said to have 'repeated his appeal for a renewed push for negotiations, a ceasefire and an end to the war'. 'He again expressed his concern about the tragic humanitarian situation for the population of Gaza, whose children, elderly and sick are paying an agonising price,' said the Holy See press office. The late Pope Francis had been in daily contact with the Holy Family Church since 9 October, 2023, two days after the bombings began in Gaza. Francis continued to hold these calls during his extensive hospitalisation prior to his death in April. The late pontiff described the parish community as 'very courageous' and he used his final public address to call for an end to the 'deplorable humanitarian situation' in Gaza. Francis also described some Israeli actions in Gaza as 'terrorism' in his memoir. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 58,765 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Herald Malaysia
05-07-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo dialogues with children: "Build bridges from an early age"
Pope Leo has a dialogue with children participating in the Vatican's summer camp who gathered with him yesterday in the Paul VI Hall. With them also a group of around 300 young students from Ukraine, hosted in Italy by Caritas for the summer. Jul 05, 2025 Pope Leo XIV during his dialogue with children of the Vatican summer camp (@VATICAN MEDIA) By L'Osservatore Romano"Even as children, we can learn to be builders of bridges and seek opportunities to help others." This is the conviction of Pope Leo XIV, who, in response to questions from children he met yesterday in the Vatican, encouraged them to seek friendship with Jesus by attending Mass, welcoming those who are different, and committing themselves to building peace. The occasion was a midday visit to the Paul VI Hall, where more than 300 participants in the Vatican's annual summer camp program had gathered, joined shortly beforehand by an equal number of children from Ukraine hosted by Caritas Italiana. Responding to three questions posed by three children representing various age groups, the Pope engaged in an informal dialogue with those present. One of the event's leaders introduced the initiative, now in its sixth year. Coordinated by Salesian priest Father Franco Fontana and organized in a similar way to the youth centers of St. John Bosco. The theme for discussions at the summer camp looks at how to help children overcome prejudice in a time when it's increasingly difficult to talk, connect, and share words, thoughts, and even playtime with others. Attending Mass as a child The first question came from Giulia, who asked if the Pope went to Mass as a child. "Of course!" he answered enthusiastically. "Always, every Sunday, with Mom and Dad." He then shared memories from his childhood in Chicago: "Around age six, I was also an altar server in my parish. Before going to school — it was a parish school — we would attend 6:30 a.m. Mass. Mom always woke us up saying, 'Let's go to Mass.'" Serving at Mass was something he truly enjoyed. "From an early age, I was taught that Jesus is always near, that He is your best friend, and Mass was a way to find that friend, to be with Jesus — even before my First Communion." Pope Leo also recalled that back then Mass was in Latin: "We had to learn Latin for Mass, but then it changed to English for me since I was born and raised in the U.S." However, he emphasized, "What mattered wasn't the language of the celebration, but the experience of being with other kids serving Mass, the friendship, and that closeness to Jesus in the Church. It was always something beautiful." Building bridges Next came a question from Edoardo, who, referring to the summer camp's theme, asked how children can welcome those who are different. The Pope greeted the Ukrainian group in English, noting, "Experiences like this — meeting people from different countries, lands, languages, with so many differences between us — are very important." He encouraged the children to embrace "the experience of encounter, of meeting one another, of mutual respect, and learning to be friends with one another." Switching back to Italian for the rest of the group, he reminded them that Ukraine is 'a land that is suffering greatly because of the war.' Speaking to the challenges of communication due to language differences, he acknowledged, "Yes, it can be hard to understand each other." But he emphasized that when there is an opportunity to meet someone different, it is vital to learn mutual respect. "Don't focus on the differences," he said. "See how to live an encounter with respect — to build bridges, build friendship, recognize that we can all be friends, brothers, sisters. That way, we can walk together and move forward." The Pope admitted this isn't always easy: "Sometimes it takes special effort, because we think, 'He's not like me, she's different, doesn't speak like me… looks different…'" Still, he stressed the need to "learn to respect each other, to know that we can live together as friends." Working for peace Finally, Damiano returned to the topic of the conflict in Ukraine, asking what young people can do to build peace. The Pope responded that "even from a young age, we can all learn to be builders of peace and friendship." He offered practical advice: "Don't go to war, don't get into fights, never promote hatred. There are many small things even for you — like when you look at someone and think, 'I like those shoes, and I don't have them…' and then you feel envy or something unpleasant in your heart." Instead, he said, "Jesus calls us to learn to be friends, brothers and sisters to all. In that experience, whether we are Italian, American, Ukrainian — whatever our country — we are all sons and daughters of God." He urged them to learn from childhood "to have mutual respect," to "see the other as someone like me," and to understand that "they're not so different. 'They speak another language; I can't talk to them' — that's not true! There are also gestures. There are ways to approach the other. You can share a bit of bread, find a way to help." Pope Leo XIV concluded, "Even the smallest can start seeking opportunities to be promoters of peace, promoters of friendship and love among all."--Vatican News
