Leaders of the Church of the Sagrada Familia will stay in Gaza in the middle of the evacuation orders

Despite the evacuation orders and the escalation of military operations in Gaza, the emergency committee of the Church of the Sagrada Familia, the only Catholic parish in the strip, announced that its members will remain in place to serve the displaced residents who have taken refuge in the parish.

The Israeli forces recently issued general orders to residents to evacuate the Zeitoun neighborhood, one of the largest in the city of Gaza, which covers approximately 9 square kilometers and that, even war, housed more than 100,000 people. The Church of the Sagrada Familia is in this neighborhood, although it did not receive any specific order to evacuate its enclosure.

The emergency committee began its statement with a biblical verse from the first letter to the Corinthians: “Thus, my beloved brothers, stay firm and constant, always abound in the work of the Lord, knowing that his work in the Lord is not in vain.”

Staying in the parish is a moral and pastoral duty, said the committee, promoted by the need to serve the elderly and disabled residents who depend on the permanent support of the Church.

The emergency committee, in operation “from the first day of the war”, promised to remain “at the head of the service” to the community. The decision to stay was taken to protect those who have sought refuge in the church, emphasizing that the decision to leave or stay “must remain in the hands of the conscience of each civilian.”

The announcement given by the Committee on August 27 echoes a joint statement that the previous day issued the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem and the Greek Orthodox patriarchy of Jerusalem, which warned that evacuation orders so that civilians are relocated in southern Gaza equals a “death sentence” for many of those who have found refuge in religious institutions.

The complex of the Catholic Church of the Sagrada Familia and the nearby Greek Orthodox Church of San Porfirio have housed hundreds of civilians since the beginning of the war, many of whom cannot physically travel south.

“The path of justice leads to life,” both patriarched declared, urging world leaders to protect civilians to remain in their territory and reject mass expulsion policies. The emergency committee also urged local and international authorities to break the cycle of violence and find solutions that protect human life and dignity.

Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, Catholic pastor of the Sagrada Familia, reinforced this position in an interview with Vatican News. “We are in the hands of God. We are here for Jesus Christ. We are here to serve him in the Eucharist and to serve him in the poor, the sick and those who suffer,” he said.

He added that priests and religious who remain in the Church believe they have the moral obligation to continue attending the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable people whose survival has depended on ecclesiastical institutions for years. Forcing them to live in the street would be catastrophic, he warned, given generalized malnutrition, physical vulnerability and the almost total absence of medical care outside the walls of the church.

The statement of the emergency committee comes when Military Operations in Gaza have intensified drastically, with intense bombings against densely populated neighborhoods. Local authorities and residents report an increase in civil victims and generalized destruction.

Given this panorama, religious leaders have renewed their calls urgent to the immediate international action to protect the civilian population, guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid and prevent forced displacement.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.