The Cardinal Patriarch of Jerusalem has pleaded for an end to the divisive politics engulfing Gaza and called on people to come together in an effort to heal the crisis in the region. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “The situation is so polarised that if you are close to the Palestinians, the Israelis feel betrayed, and vice versa. “When I speak of the suffering of Gaza, the Hebrew Catholics tell me about the areas which suffered in the 7th October attacks, and on the other side, the Palestinians think only of Gaza.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa said: “We have Catholics of the Hebrew vicariate serving in the army in Gaza, and we have Catholics being bombed in Gaza. It is not easy.” He added: “We have to leave politics behind, we have to meet and pray together. Now that the wounds are bleeding it is not the time to speak of politics. “Recognising the suffering of the other is not that simple when one is suffering.” Cardinal Pizzaballa stated that the solution is not “a false neutrality”, but equally the Church must not become embroiled in the conflict. He said: “I keep being told I need to be neutral. “Come with me to Gaza, speak to my people who lost everything, and then tell me I have to be neutral. It doesn’t work. “But we cannot become part of the political, or military clash or the confrontation. “We have to be a constructive presence, but it is not simple to find the right way.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa highlighted that, while “everybody is focused on Gaza, and it is catastrophic”, Christians throughout the region are suffering. Most Christians in the Holy Land work in the tourism sector and have lost their source of income since most pilgrimages have been cancelled. ACN has provided emergency aid – food coupons, life-saving medicine and help with housing costs and tuition fees – for thousands of Christians in the Holy Land who have lost their livelihoods. The patriarch said that the charity’s support for pastoral programmes is important because it helps strengthen people’s faith in a time of great need. He concluded: “I want to express my appreciation to Aid to the Church in Need and to all its benefactors, for helping our Church to continue to live, through pastoral activities, despite the emergency. “This closeness and concrete presence among us is a blessing, as is the support and solidarity of the universal Church for the Mother Church of Jerusalem. “You are present where it is difficult – in pastoral activities, summer camps and other activities for which fundraising is not always easy.”
By: Zenit
