Pizzaballa in Gaza: ‘A difficult situation’ – we must remain vigilant

To express, once again, their solidarity with the thousands of people – men, women and children – who have been severely tested by the war. This is the aim of the new pastoral visit by the Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, who have travelled together for the second time the rubble of Gaza. They were accompanied by Josef Blotz, Grand Hospitaller of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, and a number of representatives from Malteser International, the humanitarian organisation operating in many parts of the world.

The visit “reflects the pastoral responsibility of the Churches of Jerusalem towards the local Churches and the entire population of Gaza, where families continue to endure severe humanitarian suffering, fear, loss and uncertainty”, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem emphasises in a statement. The statement also emphasises the indispensable value of prayer in a context “devastated by suffering which, it would seem, saps the strength of all hope”.

Applause and shouts of welcome greeted the two religious leaders on their first stop at the Sagrada Família complex, led by the parish priest Gabriel Romanelli, where, ever since the outbreak of the war, countless Christian and Muslim families have found shelter and food and drinking water to survive. “The situation is difficult,” Pizzaballa was keen to emphasise, assuring those present that, for this very reason, the focus on Gaza remains a priority. The Patriarch nevertheless expressed great joy at being able – as he put it – “to look into the eyes not only of the parishioners and those living around the church, but of all the inhabitants of this suffering city”, who are unable to leave.

Pizzaballa is, in fact, one of the very few people who have been granted access to Gaza in recent years. As early as 19 December 2025, the cardinal had visited the local population, and on the 21st of the same month he had chosen to celebrate Christmas Mass early, in the parish church of the Holy Family, accompanied by the sound of bombing. It was, however, in the aftermath of the Israeli air raid – which struck the Church of the Holy Family itself, causing three deaths and several injuries, including minor injuries to Romanelli himself – that Cardinal Pizzaballa and Theophilus III decided to travel to Gaza together for the first time to offer their solidarity.

Yesterday, Pizzaballa and Teofilo met with the clergy, religious communities, families and those affected by the humanitarian crisis. They also blessed a clinic in an area facing a major health emergency. In Gaza, Father Ibrahim Faltas – head of the schools of the Custody of the Holy Land and former vicar – tells us that the situation remains difficult. The current truce has not yielded the hoped-for results and people continue to die every day. There is still a shortage of everything; aid is not getting through and the population is at the end of their tether, a situation made worse by the exceptional heat of recent days. The people of Gaza, Faltas tells us once again, say they are living in inhumane conditions. Furthermore, Faltas explains, the real risk is that the Middle East is now seen as a region in constant conflict; there is therefore a risk of desensitisation and indifference.