Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has called on Christians in the Holy Land to reject hatred, division and indifference, urging them to become witnesses of hope, justice and reconciliation amid the devastating consequences of war.
In a pastoral letter entitled “They returned to Jerusalem with great joy: A proposal for living the vocation of the Church in the Holy Land,” Pizzaballa reflects on the challenges facing Christian communities across Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus.
The cardinal said the letter was not intended to offer immediate political solutions, but to encourage believers to examine how they can live their faith meaningfully amid prolonged conflict and uncertainty.
With the region once again plagued by armed conflict, Cardinal Pizzaballa said the ongoing crisis obligated Christians “to engage more assiduously in serving the poor, denouncing injustice, being present in our community, and, above all, in praying and listening to the Word of God, always seeking unity and truth as we stand before Him and one another”.
His letter highlighted the economic and social consequences of the conflict, including unemployment, declining opportunities for young people and renewed emigration among Christians.
Pizzaballa also spoke of the attacks of 7 October 2023 as a watershed moment that brought about the end of an era and the beginning of a new one “in the worst possible way”.
“For the Palestinians, these events represent yet another dramatic phase in a long history of humiliation and displacement. For the Israelis, on the other hand, these events represent something unprecedented, a violence that has brought back the horrors that occurred in Europe eighty years ago," he said.
The Cardinal praised Holy Family church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, and acknowledged the hardships they had been through. During Israel’s military operations in Gaza the church was hit by IDF ordnance and some were killed or injured. Cardinal Pizzaballa described the church as the “Face of Christ amidst the horrors”.
In his letter the Cardinal also gave thanks for the concern shown by the wider Catholic Church, noting that everyone from the Pope to the smallest parish had shown concern for fellow believers suffering in the Holy Land. The late Pope Francis was known for his special concern for Holy Family in Gaza and during his final days was in contact with the parish on an almost daily basis.
Concluding his lengthy letter, Pizzaballa reminded believers that their joy and hope should not be determined by their material circumstances.
“What sustains us is not our own strength, but the joy of the Gospel. A joy that does not depend on circumstances, that does not wane even when everything seems shrouded in darkness. A joy born of the certainty that the Lord is with us, that he does not abandon us, that he walks beside us even in the darkest nights, because he is Risen. And he is alive among us," he said.
