
Pílulas Litúrgicas / Wikimedia Commons
CV NEWS FEED // His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa recently spoke out about his surprise trip to the Gaza strip earlier this month, telling the Latin Patriarchate’s Media Director that the emotional experience “left a mark on me and my life.”
“I entered Gaza during the week of Pentecost, in which we pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For sure, it was a great blessing to be with the parishioners of Gaza,” the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem told Fr. Ibrahim Nino about the May 15-19 visit.
Pizzaballa recounted entering Gaza with the intention of bringing “the promise of a new life,” to the Christian community there.
“I was very surprised that they were the ones who taught me a lesson I will never forget,” he said, continuing:
Their steadfast faith, carried with heartwarming smiles, left a mark on me and my life.
I saw hope and optimism in their eyes. They told me, ‘We will stay here. As long as the church stands with us, we are not afraid.’ I was really impressed by their attitude.
The purpose of the Latin Patriarch’s pastoral visit had been to assess the conditions of the Christian community. “The scale of destruction I witnessed is unbelievable,” the Cardinal said, emphasizing that the lack of water, electricity, and security has made the situation dire.
“Despite this,” he continued, “I saw unity among them, organising their daily lives in the monastery, and managing their use of electricity, water, and food so that nothing would be lacking.”
As CatholicVote reported last week, Cardinal Pizzaballa visited Gaza’s only Catholic church, Holy Family parish, and St. Porphyrius Orthodox parish, the oldest active church in Gaza.
