A reported strike on the only Catholic Church in Gaza killed three people and injured nine others July 17, according to a statement from Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Among the injured was the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli. Pictures showed damage to the church’s roof and windows.
Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, the parish has been a refuge for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Here are eight things to know about Holy Family Church in Gaza:
1. The parish is the only Catholic Church in Gaza.
Holy Family Parish was built in the 1960s. Before it became a shelter, the were about 130 Catholics in Gaza, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
Christians are a minority in the overwhelmingly Muslim territory, numbering only 1,000, according to the 2024 U.S. State Department’s international religious freedom report. Most Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox, though other Christians such as Roman Catholics, Melkite Greek Catholics, and some Protestant denominations have a presence in Gaza and the West Bank. Christians represent less than 1% of Gaza, according to the Latin Patriarchate website.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with about 5,000 people per square kilometer. The area is also highly impoverished with a high level of unemployment. Children under 15 make up about 50% of the population, per a 2022 Palestine Ministry of Health report.
Read more: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265407/8-things-to-know-about-the-only-catholic-parish-in-gaza
By Kate Quiñones | catholicnewsagency
