Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa met with the press the day after he visited the Gaza Strip, where he went to offer his support—and through him, that of the entire Church—to the people of Gaza, exhausted by more than two years of war. It was also the first visit by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to the autonomous territory since the ceasefire.
His assessment is sobering: 80 percent of infrastructure has been destroyed; what remains standing risks collapse or is practically uninhabitable. The severe deterioration of some buildings has not, however, prevented a few families from returning to their homes. Four hundred people are still being sheltered on the grounds of the Holy Family parish, led by Father Gabriel Romanelli. But most residents continue to live in tents. “It is cold—I felt cold—so think of the children,” the Cardinal said.
Despite everything, “I saw a desire to return to life,” he noted. Shops remain closed, and the challenges are immense, yet some rudimentary stalls have appeared in tents, where fruit and vegetables are available.
“The situation of famine is behind us,” Cardinal Pizzaballa affirmed. Nevertheless, few Gazans can afford to purchase food. With no work and no income, the majority have no option but to rely on humanitarian assistance, which, thanks to international aid agencies, is finally arriving.
