The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have, not for the first time, called for peace in the region.
In their Easter message the church leaders acknowledged the “present darkness that engulfs our region”, referring to the ongoing conflict between Israel and its Islamic neighbours.
Despite this, they said that they had a “message of hope” about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, an event that continues to be a light in the darkness with the power to overcome sin and death.
The message noted that Jesus carried all of our sins and our failures, including all of the “war and darkness” of human history. Yet despite the weight of such sin and horror, Christ was ultimately not broken by it, but rose again in “light that dispels darkness”.
The patriarchs noted that Jesus’ ministry was one of aiding and pastoring those who were poor, downtrodden and in distress: “With deep gratitude for God’s redeeming grace in Christ, we embrace this mission, especially as we seek to respond pastorally to all who have suffered so grievously in our region over the past eighteen months.”
The message calls upon Christians to work towards an end to the conflict in the Holy Land and indeed to all conflicts around the world and to bring relief to the afflicted and release to the captives.
In particular the Easter message extended greetings to Christians in Gaza who have been sheltering in St Porphyrios Orthodox Church and Holy Family Catholic Church as the war between Israel and Hamas rages around them.
A recent report suggested that more than half of Gaza’s Christian population are currently taking refuge in the Holy Family Church.
Some Christians have been killed as a result of Israeli actions in Gaza, including 18 people who were killed in an airstrike that hit Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church in 2023. In another incident the same year, two women were shot by snipers at the Holy Family Church.
