Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, is visiting Rome and discussing the situation in the Middle East with Pope Francis.
By Joseph Tulloch and Antonella Palermo
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, met with Pope Francis on Monday to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
Then speaking to journalists, he said they had discussed “the humanitarian situation of the Christian community in Gaza and more generally in the Holy Land”, as well as the state of dialogue in the region and the prospects for peace. .
The Christians of Gaza
Responding to questions from journalists, Patriarch Pizzaballa said Christians in Gaza “live the same situation as everyone else.”
“They do not constitute a separate people,” he declared, and even if the fact of being a “small minority, a very small number” weighs on them, their situation is “a microcosm of the difficulties experienced by the entire population”.
“It is not easy, even for Christians, to find themselves in a situation of great division where everyone is expected to take sides,” observed the Cardinal Patriarch.
He added that he is in regular contact with the Catholic parish of Gaza, located in the north of the Gaza Strip, where there is now less fighting.
“Military operations have moved further south,” said the Patriarch, “but it remains an area where there is nothing: there are no houses, there is no water, there is no electricity, there is nothing. It is a situation of extreme poverty, and there are no institutions present.
Jordan as a base for a humanitarian mission
Patriarch Pizzaballa arrived in Italy from Jordan, where he has been staying for a week.
“The situation in Jordan is complex, but I must say that it is the only stable country from a political and humanitarian point of view,” he explained. “When we need to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, our address is the Jordanian Royal House.”
The Patriarch reported that he spoke with King Abdullah, the Jordanian government and various institutions “to see if we can keep alive the channels of communication with Gaza and also with the little authority that remains there.”
Jordan is therefore currently “the most stable point of reference” for the Church, but “there is collaboration, a minimum of collaboration, also with humanitarian organizations and with Egypt”.
The dialogue must continue
Searching for an end to the war in Gaza, Patriarch Pizzaballa said, is not an easy task.
“We have to think in stages,” he said. “There will be no immediate solution. What is important now is to find channels of communication between the two parties. Between Israel and Hamas.
The Catholic Church, he added, will continue to work to achieve this goal.
