Fr. Paul Ekarat Homprathum, Secretary General of the Catholic Education Council of Thailand (CECT), condemned the Israeli military strike on the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza.
The attack reportedly killed three people and left at least ten others injured, including Parish Priest Fr. Gabriel Romanelli.
Romanelli, a confidant of the late Pope Francis, communicated nightly with him during the Gaza war.
“This attack, along with others that have claimed innocent lives—many of them women and children—is not only a human tragedy but also a grave violation of the sanctity of places of worship,” Fr. Ekarat said in a statement.
“Although Thailand is geographically far from Gaza, we feel deeply close to the victims and share in the pain and sorrow of the people there. Our hearts are with them.”
Fr. Ekarat expressed full support for Pope Leo XIV, who renewed his urgent appeal to protect sacred spaces and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The Pope made the plea in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following the military strike that damaged the church in Gaza’s heart.
According to the Holy See Press Office, Pope Leo XIV, speaking from his residence at Castel Gandolfo, once again urged renewed negotiations, a ceasefire, and an end to the war.
The Pope highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where “children, elderly, and sick are paying an agonizing price.”
Fr. Ekarat echoed the Pope’s concern, adding that Thai Catholic schools remain committed to teaching peace, compassion, and non-violence.
“We are using this heartbreaking situation in Gaza as a real-world lesson in our classrooms—not to incite anger, but to help our students understand the pain caused by war and the fundamental dignity of every human person,” he said.
“Our Catholic educational institutions stand for peace,” he emphasized. “We reject violence in all its forms and believe in dialogue, mutual respect, and the Gospel message of love. We continue to pray for the victims in Gaza and fervently hope that a ceasefire will come without delay.”
The Holy Family Church in Gaza, long a sanctuary for Christian and Muslim civilians during times of conflict, has become a symbol of the region’s suffering.
For Fr. Ekarat and many Thai Catholics, it also serves as a call to global solidarity.
“Places of worship must always be places of refuge,” Fr. Ekarat concluded. “To destroy them is to wound the soul of humanity.”
