Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, arrived in Gaza on Friday to visit the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza City as Palestinian Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas.
“We will not forget what happened, but we look ahead,” Pizzaballa told parishioners at the church, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. “We will rebuild our homes and schools, and we will rebuild our lives. We are from here, and we will remain here. In this sea of destruction, we seek to be an example to everyone of what it means to rebuild.”
On Sunday, Pizzaballa, who was joined by his patriarchal vicar, Monseigneur William Shomali, presided over Mass and preached a message of hope. “In this new phase, we have to bring the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of light, the spirit of tenderness, the spirit of growth,” Pizzaballa said during his homily.
The Latin Patriarchate said that Pizzaballa administered First Communion to nine children and baptized a baby during Mass on Sunday. The Italian-born cardinal also celebrated Mass on Saturday, followed by a Nativity play performed by the church’s children.
The Latin Patriarchate said that Pizzaballa also visited a “number of medical and relief centers” in Gaza, including those run by Catholic charities. Photos show Pizzaballa walking through rubble-strewn streets, visiting the Al Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, and a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians on the beach.
Pizzaballa also joined in prayers for Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter, Samar Kamal Anton, two Christian women who were killed by IDF snipers on the grounds of the Holy Family Church two years ago. Seven people who attempted to help them were wounded during the attack.
Pizzaballa has visited Gaza several times since Israel unleashed its genocidal campaign on the Strip, including following the Israeli tank shelling of the Holy Family Church, which killed three Christians and wounded others, including Father Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine priest who leads the parish.
His latest visit comes amid a de-escalation in Israel’s military operations in Gaza, though the IDF continues to violate the US-backed ceasefire deal, and has killed more than 400 Palestinians since it went into effect.
Gaza’s small Christian population, which is mainly based at the Holy Family Church and the nearby St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, has dwindled further due to Israel’s destruction campaign. The Latin Patriarchate said back in August that there were just 645 Catholic and Orthodox Christians left in the Gaza Strip.
