Pope Leo’s Man in Gaza: The Cardinal in a Keffiyeh Who Offered Himself for Hostages
A veteran Franciscan prelate, Pizzaballa has become the on-the-ground voice of Popes Leo and Francis in the Gaza conflict.
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Today’s essay turns to Gaza and the Middle East, where Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa — Leo’s top envoy and one of his most trusted voices — has embodied the Pope’s concern for peace and human dignity.
From wearing a keffiyeh in Bethlehem to offering himself in exchange for Israeli hostages, Pizzaballa has become the living expression of Leo’s moral witness in the region.
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Part V profiles his closest cardinal confidant, Luis Antonio Tagle.
Part VI examines how his thirty years in Peru will affect his pontificate.
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In Gaza’s shattered landscape, one Franciscan cardinal has become the living embodiment of Pope Leo’s moral outcry.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa — an Italian friar-turned-prelate — carries Pope Leo XIV’s voice into the conflict.
For two years, Popes Francis and Leo have repeatedly decried the Gaza offensive.
Francis even phoned Gaza’s battered Holy Family parish nightly (becoming to local children “like a grandfather” ), and Leo has thundered in statements day after day during his three-month pontificate that the slaughter must stop.
When an Israeli strike hit Gaza’s only Catholic church, Leo immediately called Pizzaballa on the ground, urging not just a ceasefire but “an end to this tragedy.”
Born in Bergamo in 1965, Pizzaballa entered the Franciscans in 1984, made solemn vows in 1989, and was ordained a priest in 1990.
He studied biblical Hebrew in Jerusalem and eventually led the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land (2004–2016).
He speaks Italian, Hebrew and Arabic, and carries decades of Middle East experience — credentials Pope Leo trusts deeply.
His stature within the Church has long been recognized. During the May conclave, Pizzaballa was even considered papabile — a contender for the papacy itself.
When asked about it, his mother offered a dose of Franciscan humility, admitting she was relieved when he wasn’t chosen.
That moment captured both the seriousness of his global stature and the grounded humanity that marks his ministry.
Instead of ascending to Peter’s chair, Pizzaballa has been called to stand in the rubble of Gaza, wearing a keffiyeh, breathing the same air as his flock, and ministering to their needs.
On Christmas Eve 2023, Pizzaballa sent a vivid message of solidarity.
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