Here, God weeps through the eyes of children, said Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of the only Catholic parish in Gaza, to the Italian agency SIR.
More than 600 Christian refugees are sheltered in the parish buildings. "Constant bombardment, destroyed solar panels, useless water tanks on the roofs, lack of food, and now also rain flooding some areas where the displaced usually spend the night," this is how the priest describes the situation in the Holy Family parish.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the Israeli retaliation against Gaza have left Father Romanelli, an Argentine of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, in Bethlehem, from where he currently cannot return to Gaza. However, he remains in contact with the parish vicar, Father Youssef Asaad, religious sisters, and some laypeople. He looks at the photos they send him. "Gaza is unrecognizable. It is nothing but ruins. But this will not stop us from celebrating," announces the pastor a few days before Christmas.
The custom was for the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to go to Gaza in the days before Christmas, but the war has "blocked everything," just in the year when Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa became a cardinal.
"We had prepared a warm welcome for him with children dressed as cardinals who have entered history as saints or blesseds," revealed Father Romanelli, adding that these were "vows of holiness" for the hierarch.
Furthermore, due to the war, in solidarity with the victims, "throughout the entire Patriarchal Diocese of Jerusalem," all traditional Christmas events, including scout parades, have been canceled. Christmas will only be celebrated inside the churches.
For Father Romanelli, the best Christmas gift would be a true truce, a permanent ceasefire. "Every additional day of war means death, destruction, injuries, pain, and hatred. We will pray for the weapons to fall silent, for the wounded and sick to be cared for, for prisoners and hostages to be released. We ask that aid reach everyone, even in the north [of the Gaza Strip], where 400,000 inhabitants have nothing left. During previous wars, something remained, I mean shops, hospitals, schools, places of rest. Now, there is nothing but rubble," laments the pastor of Gaza.
He also gives the tragic toll of the conflict so far: "more than 18,000 Palestinian victims, more than 1,200 Israeli victims, 50,000 Palestinian wounded and more than 5,400 Israelis, more than 7,700 children killed."
At the same time, he is already thinking about post-war reconstruction. "We must ask God for the strength to rebuild and the faith that it will be possible. Otherwise, where will the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza go, what will they do, and how will they live? The international community must not abandon them," emphasizes the religious.
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He notes that the Christians of Gaza do not cease to pray. Every day, the small church is full during morning and evening Mass, the Rosary, and Eucharistic adoration. "The altar of Gaza is not only made of stone, it is a living tabernacle. This is how we nourish the spiritual life of our believers, a little over a thousand, about a hundred of whom are Catholic, among 2.3 million Muslims. From this comes the strength to witness our faith through charity towards all, without distinction of religion, by working in the fields of education, health, and social assistance, giving hope to all these people who have been in the world's largest prison, Gaza, for over 16 years," explains Father Romanelli.
He recalls that in October, the parish welcomed more than 2,500 refugees at the Holy Family school. He adds that "everyone suffers, pain does not differentiate between Christians, Jews, Druze, Muslims, believers and non-believers."
The strength to help them "comes from faith in Jesus." "It is not easy, because we are sometimes tempted to seek a quieter place, but we must stay close to the people who suffer, because in Gaza too, God weeps, he weeps through the eyes of orphaned children, of those who have lost limbs, of many who have lost their freedom. In this mission, the Christians of Gaza benefit from the daily support of Pope Francis, the Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and hundreds of thousands of people, Christian or not, who call for peace and justice," emphasizes the Argentine priest.
This article was originally published by Ekai and then translated by LeCatho | Original link.