More than one year after the war began, Pope Francis continues to telephone the Catholic parish in Gaza every day and has become a grandfather figure to the children, says Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem continues to give as much support as it can to the small Christian community in Gaza, as well as to Muslim families living close to the Catholic and the Orthodox compounds in the territory.
During a press conference held by pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), in early December, the Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said that the Christians of Gaza, and especially the children, will celebrate Christmas despite the ongoing war. “They will try to live Christmas as well as they can, despite the poor conditions,” the Patriarch said.
There are currently little more than 450 people in the Catholic Holy Family parish compound, and a further 200 in the Orthodox compound, and the conditions are very poor, the Patriarch explained, but at least “they are all together”, and so will celebrate Christmas as a community.
In 2023, the Christian Churches of the Holy Land asked their faithful to refrain from exuberant festivities, because of the general climate of suffering and pain, but this year Cardinal Pizzaballa said: “Christmas will be as normal as possible, given the extraordinary circumstances. Better food, prayer of course, and something for the children.”
“Christmas is the feast of the children, if we are able to, we will send them not only food, but also some toys, or something that can make a difference for their everyday life. That will also be a joy for the families,” he added, recalling that children in Gaza are in their second year with no school, with few prospects of a return to normal.
Elsewhere in the Holy Land “all the activities connected to the Christmas celebrations will be in solidarity with the most affected people, also in the West Bank, but especially in Gaza.”
“The Latin Patriarchate is deeply involved in humanitarian support in Gaza and the West Bank, also thanks to the support of ACN. We are able to introduce food not just for our community, but for 4,000 families. This humanitarian support is not done just because of Christmas, but because of our identity as a Church. We cannot be a Church, talk about Jesus, and about loving our neighbour, if we don’t translate this into action.”
The introduction of humanitarian aid into Gaza is the result of very hard work, negotiation and “stubbornness”, says the Patriarch. “Introducing food, and humanitarian goods into northern Gaza is not easy, you have to coordinate with lots of people on both sides of the border. We are stubborn, it took a long time, but now we have some channels. We also have an advantage, we have a community there, and they are engaged in the distribution. This creates a good atmosphere, because it gives them a sense of purpose. They are there to help the others, and to create a network among all the families, not just the Christians.”
Grandfather Pope
Pope Francis has taken a very strong interest in the war in the Holy Land, repeatedly calling for peace, and has kept in daily contact with the Catholic parish in Gaza.
Patriarch Pizzaballa said that the children in the Holy Family compound have grown so used to his daily phone calls, that they think of him as family. “The Pope continues to call every day at 19:00. It has become the norm. He might speak for only half a minute, more on some days, less on others, but he has become the grandfather of the children, because they know that he is calling. For the community in Gaza, it is a very big psychological, emotional and spiritual support.”