Jerusalem’s Latin and Greek patriarchs visit Gaza, vow to not abandon its Christians |
Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa pledged Monday not to abandon Gaza’s Christian community as he visited the devastated Palestinian territory with his Greek Orthodox counterpart.
Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III arrived for a pastoral visit aimed at supporting both Gaza’s small Christian population and its wider community after years of war and hardship.
“We want to bring the greetings from all the churches in Jerusalem, and to bring also our prayer and our desire for support and unity,” Pizzaballa told a service at Gaza City’s Holy Family Church.
“We never abandoned you and you’ll never be abandoned,” he said, according to video published on the congregation’s Facebook page.
The visit comes as Gaza’s dwindling Christian community of around 1,000 people faces displacement, insecurity and severe shortages of basic items alongside the rest of the population.
In a statement announcing the trip, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said the visit reflected “the pastoral responsibility of the Churches of Jerusalem toward the local churches and toward the whole population of Gaza, where families continue to endure grave humanitarian suffering, fear, loss and uncertainty.”
الإثنين ٢٢ حزيران ٢٠٢٦، وصول غبطة البطريرك ثيوفيلوس الثالث، بطريرك المدينة المقدسة وسائر أعمال فلسطين والأردن، وغبطة البطريرك الكاردينال بييرباتيستا بيتسابالا،........