To the world, he was Pope Francis, leader of 1.4 billion Catholics. To parishioners at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, the late pontiff was a "shield" who fought to provide succor to their tiny community in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
“He was a real father to us,” George Antone, a parishioner in the enclave's only Catholic church, told NBC News' crew in Gaza. “Pope Francis was like a shield for the Christians in the enclave. He was the fighter, he was fighting for our rights and for our protection.”
Throughout the war, parishioners and leaders of the church said, Francis had been a significant source of strength, making near-nightly calls for the past year and a half, even as he faced his own health struggles in his final months.
Antone was among dozens who gathered in the church in Gaza City to pay their respects to Francis in an evening Mass. Around 1,300 Christians live in Gaza, according to a 2022 U.S. State Department report.
Heads bowed and hands lifted to their hearts in prayer, worshippers, from children to older people, offered their farewells to the pontiff. A row of altar boys dressed in scarlet and white helped lead the service.
One worshipper lifted his hands, grief etched on his face, as he faced a portrait of Francis adorned with a black ribbon that sat on the altar. The church has withstood some 18 months of war, including an attack that killed two of its parishioners as they stood within the compound's walls.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic regional body whose territory covers the Palestinian territories, accused Israeli forces of shooting Nahida Anton and her daughter, Samar Anton, "in cold blood," and injuring others as they tried to flee to safety inside the church compound, which was heavily damaged in the attack.
Israeli officials denied responsibility in the incident.
During Francis' nearly nightly calls, he often asked what parishioners had managed to get to eat and how they were holding up amid the fighting. The pope continued that tradition even in the final weeks of his life as he faced a string of health issues, including bronchitis and double pneumonia.
“He was very close to us,” the Rev. Gabriel Romanelli of the Holy Family Church said Easter Monday, hours after the Vatican announced Francis’ death.
“All the time, he called us during all this war, this horrid war,” he said. "For more than one year and a half, daily, he called us.”
In his final call Saturday, Romanelli said, Francis had shared his blessings with the church and thanked them for all that they were doing.
The pope became more outspoken in his criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in recent months. Earlier this year, he condemned the humanitarian crisis, labeling it "very serious and shameful" as he called for an end to Israel's bombing campaign. Israel resumed its offensive last month after ending a ceasefire with Hamas.
Francis had also lambasted the alleged targeting of the Holy Family Church in December 2023. He said that in Gaza, "unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and gunfire," including at the church where, he stated, there were "no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, sisters."
More than 51,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave.
Israel launched its offensive following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli counts, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.
After Francis' death, Palestinians across Gaza will be hoping to see his successor take up his call for an end to the war in the enclave.
"We are united in prayers for him and for the next pope," said parishioner Suhail Abu Dawood, 19, adding: "We are united in prayers for peace — in Gaza and in all the world."
