The Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has echoed Pope Leo XIV’s first Regina Coeli address that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"The human cost is intolerably high with tens of thousands of weary, regularly displaced people threatened with starvation. We need an immediate ceasefire to end the suffering," said Bishop Jim Curry, who is also a member of the Department for International Affairs.
“This is a humanitarian disaster. Desperately needed aid supplies must be allowed into Gaza to be urgently distributed to civilians.
“As Pope Leo said at his first general audience, children, the elderly and the sick are paying a very heavy price, and I would echo the Holy Father’s heartfelt appeal for ‘dignified’ humanitarian aid to be allowed to pass into Gaza – not just an inadequate trickle of food and supplies that has been promised in recent days.”
Bishop Curry also referenced Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s joint statement, with the leaders of Canada and France, on the situation in Gaza, released on 19 May:
“International humanitarian law has to be respected and a viable pathway to de-escalation and peace sought by Israel and Hamas, supported by the international community,” said Bishop Curry.
“The remaining hostages in Gaza, held for 19 months since the Hamas terror attack on 7 October, must be released to put an end to their suffering and that of their families. I welcome the statement by the UK Prime Minister and the leaders of France and Canada, particularly the assertion that the best hope of achieving this and alleviating the pain and hardship facing the civilians in Gaza is to work tirelessly for a long-term political solution.
“It is important not to lose sight of the legitimate right of Palestinians to self-determination. The Church has consistently advocated for a two-state solution to enable Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side in peace.”
Bishop Curry said he was also praying for the Christians of Gaza:
“I continue to pray for Fr Gabriel Romanelli and the Christian community sheltering in the compound of the Holy Family Church, north of the Wadi. It is a humbling inspiration to all of us outside the conflict zone to witness their strength of faith in the Risen Christ, and how they continue to lead a humble sacramental life despite the incredible hardship and distress they are facing.”
At the close of his <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/pope-leo-draws-lessons-from-vincent-van-gogh-painting-in-first-general-audience/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">first general audience</mark></a> as pope, Leo XIV again prayed for peace in Gaza, saying the situation is “increasingly painful and concerning”.<br><br>He did not mention the Israeli hostages still in captivity, but appealed for the entry of humanitarian aid to be permitted and for “an end to hostilities, the heartbreaking price of which is paid by children, elderly and the sick”.<br><br>For the month of May, he urged believers to pray the rosary for peace, and to ask for the Virgin Mary’s intercession so that humanity does not “close themselves to this gift of God and to disarm the heart”.
The comments from the lead bishop for the Bishops’ Conference coincide with a leading US rabbi voicing optimism for Catholic-Jewish relations after the election of Pope Leo XIV, saying his pontificate marks an opportunity for renewal given a spike in tensions during the last months of Pope Francis’s papacy.
The comments from the bishop also coincide with heightening tensions over the war in Gaza causing tragedy further afield. On the night of 21 May, two Israeli embassy staff, a young couple, were fatally shot in downtown Washington, DC, as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
The suspect in the shooting has been detained and identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, reports the <em>BBC</em>. It adds that police say he shouted “free Palestine” after being taken into custody, and officers will “look into ties to potential terrorism”.
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/us-jews-optimistic-about-pope-leo-after-strains-during-franciss-papacy/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em>RELATED: US Jews ‘optimistic’ about Pope Leo after strains during Francis’s papacy</em></strong></mark></a>
<em>Photo: A Palestinian boy stands in the midst of rubble after Israeli bombing in Jabalia's Saftawi neighbourhood in the northern Gaza Strip, 22 May 2025. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
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