Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Teófilo III visit the Church of the Sagrada Familia after the attack

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Greek Orthodox patriarch Teófilo III, accessed the Gaza Strip on Friday to visit the community that lives refugee in the church of the Sacred Family and that continues shocked after the military attack on Thursday that caused the death of three people and left at least ten injured.

The objective of the visit is “to express the shared pastoral application of the churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza.”

According to the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem in a communicationthe ecclesiastical delegation will meet with the members of the local Christian community and offer the families of the victims their comfort. In addition, Cardinal Pizzaballa will evaluate the humanitarian and pastoral needs suffered by people who live there as displaced to coordinate the “Church response.”

The parish building, the only Catholic temple of the Gaza Strip, includes the temple, a school, a convent, a multifunctional center and a building of the missionary of charity. At the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas, in October 2023, it became an impromptu shelter for some 600 people. Most are orthodox, Protestant and Catholic Christians, but there are also more than 50 Muslim children with disabilities who live there with their families.

In a second statement from the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem, it was indicated that the delegation presented its condolences, transmitted its pastoral breath and personally observed the damage suffered by the Church during the recent attack.

Then he went to the Greek Orthodox Church site of San Porfirio, where Bishop Alexios were received for his excellence. The patriarchs met with the residents displaced from the complex, offering words of comfort and solidarity.

Later, the delegation visited the Al-Ahli Arab (Bautista) hospital, where the patriarchs received extensive information about the serious humanitarian situation and urgent medical needs that affect the population.

Cardinal Pizzaballa is expected to remain in Gaza until Sunday to complete pastoral visits to all families, to meet with the teams of Caritas and ensure that the process of sending and distribution of humanitarian aid is launched properly.

Cáritas Jerusalem: Humanitarian aid in Gaza “is not enough”

The ecclesial delegation led to several humanitarian aid packages that could enter the area- whose borders continue tightly closed– in coordination with some humanitarian organizations, such as Cáritas Jerusalem. As explained in the statement, the recipients will not only be Christians, but “the greatest possible number of Gazati families.”

Among other things, donation includes hundreds of tons of food, first aid kit and emergency medical equipment.

The last significant entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza occurred more than four months ago: “After March 2, nothing has entered. Only small amounts of help. The only active operation is the Gaza Interim Foundation, but it is not enough. Four centers cannot replace the 400 distribution points that were during the truce,” said the director of Cáritas Jerusalem in an interview with Aci Press.

Likewise, the Latin patriarchy organized the evacuation of the most serious injured to hospitals outside the Gaza Strip, where they can receive better medical care.

“We pray for the security of the delegation and for the suspension of military activities during the visit,” adds the text.

The patriarchy concludes reaffirming its commitment to the Christians of Gaza and with the entire civilian population of the Strip: “They will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned.”

The “crime” against the Catholic Church of the Sagrada Familia in Gaza

On the other hand, the patriarchs and churches of the churches in Jerusalem, the ecumenical organism that groups the top responsible for the Christian churches present in the Holy Land, condemned in a statement published this Friday the “heinous attack perpetrated by the Israeli army against the enclosure” of the Catholic Church of the Sagrada Familia in Gaza.

“In unwavering unit, we strongly condemn this crime. The places of worship are sacred spaces that must be kept safe. In addition, they are protected by international law,” they said in the press release published one day after the attack that occurred on Thursday, July 17.

As explained by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, in statements to Vatican News, The attack consisted of the shot of an Israeli army tank directly against the Church. The impact caused the death of three people: the head of maintenance of the parish complex, who was in the courtyard at the time of the attack, and two old women who were being treated by Caritas. Ten people were injured, four of them seriously.

Among the injured is the pastor himself, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, who suffered minor injuries in one leg.

“Attacking a church that houses approximately 600 refugees, including children with special needs, constitutes a violation of these laws. It is also an attack against human dignity, a desecration of the holiness of human life and a violation of a sacred site,” denounces religious leaders in their statement.

“We join in deep solidarity with the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem and with the refugees in the Church of the Sagrada Familia,” adds the statement.

The group of Patriarchs and Churches of the Churches in Jerusalem – which includes representatives of the Orthodox, Catholics and Protestant churches – made an urgent call to world leaders and the United Nations agencies to work for a high immediate fire in Gaza that ends the war. His request adds to what Pope Leo XIV also did to through a telegram signed – as usual in these cases – by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“We also implore that they guarantee the protection of all religious and humanitarian places, and that provide help for the hungry masses throughout the Gaza Strip,” reads the statement.