Pope Francis expressed profound sorrow and distress over a missile strike on a Kyiv children’s hospital and the ongoing violence in Ukraine and Gaza, according to a statement from the Vatican on Tuesday.
“The Holy Father has learned with grave sorrow the news about attacks on two medical centres in Kyiv, including Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, as well as against a school in Gaza,” the statement read.
On Monday, a missile barrage by Russia struck multiple cities in Ukraine, resulting in the death of over three dozen people and severely damaging the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, causing widespread condemnation. Russia has denied responsibility for the hospital strike, attributing the damage to Ukrainian air defense systems. However, the UN reported a “high likelihood” that the hospital was directly hit by a Russian missile based on video footage and site assessment.
In Gaza, Israel continues its major military offensive. Though the pope did not mention the Gaza school by name, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem protested against raids on the Sacred Family School, which it said was a refuge for “hundreds of civilians” since the conflict began. The Hamas-controlled civil defense agency in the Palestinian Territory reported that two attacks on the school killed at least four people, including a Hamas official. Israel’s army stated that “terrorists” were hiding in the school, which also housed a weapons factory.
“The pope expresses his deep distress at the escalation of violence,” the Vatican’s statement said. “While expressing sympathy for the victims and the innocent wounded, he hopes and prays that concrete paths can soon be identified that will put an end to the ongoing conflicts.”