Pope Francis regularly called a church in Gaza to ask how residents there were doing during the Israel-Hamas war. He is remembered as a defender and consoling presence.

The pontiff began phoning Gaza’s Christians every day, more often on the worst days. He was still calling when failing health forced him to suspend normal activities. His conduit was Father Gabriel Romanelli, a 55-year-old priest, a compatriot from Argentina, who had been living in Gaza since 2005.