Today, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa ends his visit to the Gaza Strip.
Newsdesk (June 17, 2021 10:38 PM, Gaudium Press) – The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem visit to the Gaza Strip ends today. The visit gave joy to the small local Christian community and was also marked by the resumption of bombardments by Israel, responding to new attacks by Hamas.
After the ceasefire of last May 21, the truce was broken. Palestinian militiamen began attacking after the “march of the flags,” in which nationalist Hebrews paraded in East Jerusalem, commemorating the 1967 annexation of Jerusalem.
The parish was not affected
“We are all fine,” explains Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine priest of the Incarnate Word and parish priest of Holy Family, the only one in the area. “Here in the parish we didn’t hear anything, but a loud bang was heard in the area where the Sisters of the Rosary live,” he told SIR.
In his trip to Gaza, the Patriarch of Jerusalem visited the school of the Latin Patriarchate, the house of the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa, responsible for 75 disabled people and families who lost their homes during the bombings.
Likewise, Archbishop Pizzaballa ministered First Communion and Confirmation to some children and young people in the parish. The Catholic community numbers just over a hundred faithful. Two million Muslims are living in Gaza.
“The Catholic educational institute is highly regarded in the area,” Fr. Romanelli emphasized. Meanwhile, the Latin Patriarch urged not to lose confidence and continue to support the work of the schools.
With information from Ecclesia Magazine
