CNN
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The final call lasted 30 seconds. Just enough time to say hello and ask if everyone was okay. But for Gaza’s tiny Christian population, the phone call from Pope Francis was a ray of hope that shone through the horrors of war.
Every day since the beginning of the war 18 months ago, the pope rang the Holy Family Church in Gaza City around 8pm, Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the besieged territory’s only Catholic parish, told CNN. On most days, the call lasted about 15 minutes, during which the pope would speak with the church leaders and some of the Palestinians sheltering at the church.
For Palestinians, it became a daily reminder that Gaza was not…
