19/07/2024, Author: Filipe d’Avillez

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, met on Wednesday, 17 July, with a delegation from Aid to the Church in Need in Jerusalem and expressed his gratitude for the help received.

The situation in the Holy Land remains drastic, with no prospects of improvement in the short term. In this context, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has called on Christians to take a break from political discussions and pray together.

Speaking to a delegation from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), who are visiting the Holy Land from 15 to 19 July to show solidarity with the local Christians and evaluate projects to help the Church in the region, the Patriarch explained that “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 7 October attacks, and on the other side, the Palestinians think only of Gaza. Everybody wants to have a monopoly on the suffering.”

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is divided into six vicariates. Jordan, Israel, Cyprus, Palestine – including West Bank and Gaza – and two for the Hebrew speaking Catholics, numbering around 1,000, and for the migrants and asylum seekers, who number dozens of thousands.

“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,” the Patriarch told ACN during the meeting.

“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,” said the Patriarch.

The solution, according to Cardinal Pizzaballa, is not a false neutrality, but it is also important not to let the Church get sucked into the conflict. “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.”

The Patriarchate is doing what it can to help the small Christian community in Gaza, but the situation is so unstable that it is extremely difficult. It can take weeks to get aid into the region, and the reality on the ground is so fluid that it is useless to make long-term plans.

“It is very difficult to do something for the future of Gaza, but we have priorities. All the schools are destroyed or used as shelters, but the children have already lost one year of studies, and the families want schooling for their children, so we are trying to introduce caravans to serve as schools. We need to find teachers, however, and we have to work with what remains of the Palestinian authorities,” he explained.

Highest unemployment rate in the West Bank

Contrary to what much of the world thinks, Gaza is not the only crisis situation in the Holy Land. “Everybody is focused on Gaza, and it is catastrophic, a real crime is taking place, but the West Bank is also dramatic. Most of the Christians depended on tourism, and now there is no work with pilgrims, and those who worked in Israel no longer have permits to enter. We are witnessing the highest unemployment rate in history, 78%, in particular among Christians,” Cardinal Pizzaballa explained to ACN’s representatives.

ACN has been supporting projects in the Holy Land for many years, but aid was increased considerably after the October 7 attacks which led to the current war, and it was one of the first organisations to offer help to the Latin Patriarchate.

“Jerusalem and the Holy Land are always difficult places in which to live, they are wonderful places, because they are the origins of Christianity, but they are also very difficult, especially in this period of war, when we are facing many challenges. 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,” the Patriarch said to the delegation.

Even though ACN has provided emergency relief help, and supported a programme for job creation, Cardinal Pizzaballa said that it is particularly important that the charity is willing to help fund more pastoral programmes, to help strengthen the faith of the people. “You are present where it is difficult. In pastoral activities, summer camps, and other activities for which fundraising is not always easy. People who help often want to see their name on a plaque, and you can’t put a plaque on formation.”