(LifeSiteNews) — The Patriarchs in Jerusalem have once again condemned the ongoing conflict in Gaza, renewing their calls for urgent humanitarian assistance and an immediate end to the war.
“It is time to end this nonsense, end the war and put the common good of people as the top priority.” Such was the message of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa to the media today, as he delivered a joint press conference with Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Theophilos III in Jerusalem, following their weekend visit to Gaza.
Pizzaballa – the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem – conducted his visit to Gaza along with Theophilos after the Israeli strike on Holy Family Catholic Church on Thursday. The strike left three dead with many more injured, including the parish priest of the church, which is Gaza’s only Catholic church.
Condemnation of the strike by religious leaders in Jerusalem was swift, as was the response from the Holy See.
Recounting his visit, Pizzaballa described a “place of devastation, but also of wonderful humanity.”
The visit was not just to the artillery-struck Catholic church, but also the neighboring areas where they spoke with many of the displaced people living near-by:
We walked through the dust of ruins, past collapsed buildings and tents everywhere: in courtyards, alleyways, on the streets and on the beach — tents that have become homes for those who have lost everything. We stood among families who have lost count of the days of exile because they see no horizon for a return. Children talked and played without batting an eyelid —they were already used to the noise of the bombing.
Christ, said Pizzaballa, “is not absent from Gaza. He is there — crucified in the wounded, buried under rubble and yet present in every act of mercy, every candle in the darkness, every hand extended to the suffering.”
The highly respected cardinal also downplayed any suggestions of a political stance, affirming instead that the joint visit of the patriarchs was “as pastors.”
“The Church, the entire Christian community, will never abandon them,” he said, thus echoing the theme of his now famous offer to exchange himself for hostages after the October 7 attack in 2023.
“It is important to emphasize and repeat that our mission is not for a specific group, but for all,” said Pizzaballa. “Our hospitals, shelters, schools, parishes — St. Porphyrius, the Holy Family, the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, Caritas — are places of encounter and sharing for all: Christians, Muslims, believers, doubters, refugees, children.”
Following Thursday’s strike, Pope Leo XIV issued a telegram with notable speed, saying he was “deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, and he assures the parish priest Father Gabriele Romanelli and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness.”
The pope also spoke with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone before then speaking also with Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas. Leo placed emphasis “on the urgent need to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the consequences of the conflict and to allow the adequate entry of humanitarian aid.”
Official statements from Pizzaballa and Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin have cast doubt on the Israeli explanation of the strike being accidental. Such striking commentary from the two Catholic prelates is notable in the world of diplomatic nuance, suggesting a more hidden, strained relationship between the Church and the Israeli government.
“As shepherds of the Church in the Holy Land, we renew our commitment to a just peace, to unconditional dignity and to a love that transcends all borders,” said Pizzaballa today. “Let us not turn peace into a slogan, while war remains the daily bread of the poor.”
Patriarch Theopilos added to the media that the Church’s mission in times of devastation “is rooted in the ministry of presence, of standing with those who mourn, of defending the sacredness of life, and of witnessing to the light that no darkness can extinguish.”
“May this moment,” said the Greek Patriarch, “be a summons to conscience, and may the mercy of God guide every hand that seeks to mend what has been torn.”
