To the Bethlehem University Community, our International Support Network, and especially our beloved alumni and their families in Gaza and across Palestine:
With hearts broken and spirits shaken—but not silenced—I write to you in the wake of the unconscionable attack earlier today on the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza. The direct military strike claimed the lives of Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Abu Dawood, and injured many more, including Father Gabriel Romanelli, who has served the people of Gaza for nearly 30 years. These victims were among the hundreds—Christian and Muslim alike—who had sought shelter at the church, a place that should have remained sacred and safe.
This strike follows weeks of devastating assaults on holy places, civilian homes, and humanitarian shelters across Gaza, including schools, hospitals, and refugee camps. It also echoes the settler attacks that recently desecrated St. George Church and the Christian cemetery in Taybeh. What we are witnessing is not only the collapse of law but an erosion of the conscience of the world.
We stand, today and always, with the Palestinian people—Christian and Muslim, men and women, children and elders, in Gaza, in Taybeh, and throughout this land. To those who suffer, to those grieving, to those displaced or in fear: you are not forgotten. We see you. We stand beside you. We cry out with you.
As the only Catholic university in the Holy Land, Bethlehem University is committed to the truth that every person is created in the image and likeness of God. This truth cannot coexist with the targeting of civilians, the destruction of sanctuaries, or the silencing of voices crying for justice.
In solidarity with the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs, we echo their call: Silence is no longer acceptable. Prayers alone are not enough unless accompanied by bold and principled action.
In the spirit of Catholic Social Teaching, we affirm:
• The inviolable dignity of human life, regardless of religion or place of birth;
• The preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, especially the innocent civilians of Gaza;
• The right of people to live free from occupation, violence, and fear;
• And the sacredness of religious sites, which must never be transformed into battlegrounds.
We join Pope Leo XIV in his call for “an immediate ceasefire,” his expression of “profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation, and enduring peace in the region,” and his closeness to Fr. Romanelli and all victims of this war.
We reaffirm the words of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem: “Nothing can justify the targeting of innocent civilians.”
And we recommit ourselves—as Lasallians, as educators, as people of hope—to accompanying our students, alumni, and all those who are caught in the grip of this war. Education, solidarity, and prophetic witness remain our tools in the struggle for justice and peace.
To our alumni and friends in Gaza, your courage inspires us. Your names are known to us. Your stories are written in our hearts. You are not alone.
To our global community of benefactors, trustees, regents, foundations, and friends: now is the time to raise your voices, to demand protection for civilians, and to stand unequivocally with the people of the Holy Land—not in sentiment only, but in truth, justice, and sustained action.
May the souls of Saad, Foumia, and Najwa rest in the loving embrace of our God in whose image they were made.
May the wounded be restored in body and spirit.
And may all of us be instruments of peace in a world aching for justice.
In faith, courage, and hope,
Brother Hernán Santos González, FSC, PhD
Vice Chancellor
Bethlehem University
