Gaza is a city that has been at war many times and according to reporters, there are many old churches built that show off the rich history of the community even though the current population is very small due to the chaos, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visit during Christmas break was a comfort for a small Christian population. The cardinal who heads the Catholic Church in the Holy Land discovered both the sorrow and strength of Gaza’s remaining Christian population, which barely tips the scale at less than a thousand.
Trees torn down, power lines stretched out, cement sidewalks destroyed, people carrying belongings through streets filled with piles of crushed rubble and open sewage, airplanes flying low overhead and the occasional distant thud of explosions in the distance, Pizzaballa arrived at the Holy Family Parish which is the only Catholic church in Gaza. Around 400 Christians have come here in search of shelter as since the conflict began in October 2023. During a press conference that the cardinal held later, he said that conditions had worsened since his last visit in May.
Although this was the case, Pizzaballa found one incredible truth that cannot be suppressed – the spirit to rise despite the horrors of war. Lots of life I saw,” he commented, observing kids with all the joy squeezed out of them, but laughing, and parents who wanted nothing more than something warm to wear but boarded a vehicle with the express purpose of their child’s education clearly etched in their eyes.
Christians in Pain
Christians has undergone terrible trials and tribulations as a community. The ancient Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, recognized worldwide as one of the oldest, was taken by shelling in the first week of the clash; at least eighteen civilians sheltering in the church were killed. The Catholic community has endured its own losses, including the tragic deaths of an 84-year-old music teacher who bled to death after being shot while sheltering in the church, and two women who fell to sniper fire in late December.
Father Gabriel Romanelli, the parish of St. Porphyrius, had this description of the impact of the cardinal’s presence: “All the people, the families, came to seek his blessing, his advice, to share their stories.” And in one of the more moving moments, Pizzaballa blessed the graves of Nahida and Samar, two victims of sniper fire, offering whatever consolation he might put in their grieving families’ ways.
He walked to the Orthodox church to express greetings, marking not only a bridge across denominational lines but really making sure not a single strand is left unattended in these desperate times for the Christian community of Gaza. The visit had an added significance since Orthodox Christians are gearing up to celebrate Christmas, which comes on January 7.
What struck many observers was the absence of bitterness among the faithful. As Pizzaballa noted, “I never heard a word of anger. Never. Everything is destroyed in Gaza, but they are not destroyed. They are tired, but you can perceive life.” Such endurance in a highly adverse environment shows how deep was the faith that held this tiny, determined community together. Father Romanelli perfectly captured the effect of the visit: “The last weeks have doubtlessly been very hard even for the most optimistic. This visit, the fatherly words of the patriarch that the Church will not forsake its children, have revived the hope.” In a place where hope is often scarce, therefore, this type of pastoral care offers life-breathing spiritual food into a community determined not to abandon their presence in this troubled land.
Such endurance amidst gross adverse conditions speaks of the depth of faith in this tiny but resolute community. “The past weeks have been very trying even for the most optimistic. This visit, coupled with the fatherly words of the patriarch that the Church will not forsake its children, has very much revived hope,” Father Romanelli summed up the impact. Such pastoral care offers life breathing spiritual food to a community determined to keep up presence in this troubled land were hope dangles most often.
