Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate:

On July 17, 2025, Holy Family Church, the sole Roman Catholic parish in all of Gaza, was struck by Israeli tank fire; three people were killed. His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stated on Sunday, July 20, 2025: “We deplore this terrible act which was not only against a place of worship but against a sacred space cherished deeply by the late Pope Francis, who maintained daily contact with the church’s priest even during his illness since the outbreak of the war.”

As Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, we applaud and echo the wise words of His All-Holiness. This church bears silent and eloquent witness to the wonderful richness and diversity of religious expression in the Middle East. For this church to have been struck is deplorable and unacceptable.

His All-Holiness emphasized that “this was an attack not only on a place of worship, but on a sanctuary where hundreds of people, regardless of their religion, found a home and refuge during this time of trial and tribulation.”

The Ecumenical Patriarch also disclosed that he had asked Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, who, along with His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, is leading a group of Orthodox and Roman Catholic pilgrims from the United States on a pilgrimage to Rome and Constantinople, “From Rome to New Rome,” to communicate his sentiments to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: “I have asked Cardinal Tobin to convey our heartfelt condolences to our brother Pope Leo. Your Eminence, we ask you to assure His Holiness that we raise our voice with him for an immediate ceasefire and the end of this war, and together we pray to the Lord of Peace, for the repose of the innocent victims, the speedy recovery of the wounded, and comfort for their families.”

Less than two weeks ago, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (AEP) condemned the attack by Israeli settlers on the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the West Bank, and now we once again note with sorrow and outrage another Israeli attack on the longsuffering Palestinian Christian community. The AEP condemns in the strongest possible terms the Israeli airstrike that struck Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in Gaza, and once again calls upon the Israeli government to take immediate, decisive action against those who are responsible.

We join in the urgent prayers of His All-Holiness for the parishioners of Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, as well as for all the Christians of Gaza and the entire Middle East, and for all the victims of violence in that region, in Ukraine, and elsewhere around the world.

Yours in the service of the Ecumenical Patriarchate,

Anthony J. Limberakis, MD
Archon Grand Aktouarios
National Commander