At 10:54 a.m. on Monday, June 22, the Latin Patriarchate announced joyful news for the Church in Jerusalem. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, together with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, had entered Gaza on a pastoral visit to the 541 Christians who still remain there.
This was the fifth time since October 7, 2023, that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem had overcome many obstacles to reach the El Zeitoun neighborhood, where Gaza's two Christian churches are located. Although a ceasefire is officially in place, bombing and deaths continue every day as the Israeli army pursues Hamas fighters.
By Marie-Armelle Beaulieu
June 24, 2026
A Visit for All the People of Gaza
The joint statement issued after the two patriarchs arrived in Gaza made clear the purpose of the visit. They wished to express the pastoral responsibility of the Churches of Jerusalem not only toward the Christian community but also toward all the people of Gaza, who continue to suffer from humanitarian hardship, fear, loss, and uncertainty.
Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, welcomed the visit with great emotion. "Today has been an extraordinary day," he said. It was extraordinary not only because the two patriarchs were present, but because their visit gave hope to people who have lived for more than two years with bombing, shortages, and constant displacement.
The first stop was the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius. Before the relics of the fifth-century bishop, the two patriarchs blessed the faithful and spoke words of unity, charity, and encouragement.
They then visited the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family. Since March, most of the families who had been living in the parish school for more than two years had moved elsewhere so that classes could begin again. The children and teachers warmly welcomed the delegation from Jerusalem.
Practical Care for People's Needs
The visit quickly became very practical. Just a short distance from the parish, Cardinal Pizzaballa blessed the new Saint Joseph Clinic, a joint project of the Latin Patriarchate and the Order of Malta. Since the beginning of the war, this site had already been used to distribute aid to thousands of families who had lost everything. Now, part of the facility, made up of converted shipping containers, will provide medical care, while the rest will continue distributing food and other essential supplies.
Photos released by the parish and the Latin Patriarchate show the tremendous work that has been carried out over many months. Despite its limited resources, the Church continues to meet urgent needs while also preparing for the future.
The delegation also visited the new kindergarten of the Latin Patriarchate. The school is being built in a villa that survived the war and is still under renovation. When completed, it will welcome between 150 and 180 children at the next school year. The Patriarchate often reminds people that "without education, there is no future." Restoring this kindergarten is therefore an important investment in rebuilding the lives of Gaza's children.
At the end of the first day, Patriarch Theophilos and most of the delegation left Gaza, while Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate, Father Davide Melli, remained behind. On the second day, the Cardinal attended the graduation ceremony for students at the Latin Patriarchate School. Twenty-four elementary students, known as the "Generation of Hope and Aspiration," received their diplomas as their families applauded.
Education Comes First
Father Romanelli described the joy of the celebration. "Even though destruction surrounds Gaza, we were able to give the children a moment of happiness." The children sang, danced, and performed for parents who were deeply moved. Christians and Muslims celebrated together. For a few hours, Father Romanelli said, they experienced "something beautiful, orderly, and dignified."
The school already serves nearly 500 students, and the Patriarch hopes that number will eventually double. Many families are already asking to enroll their children for the coming school year.
This desire to prepare for the future was also manifested in visits to health facilities. The Patriarch visited the eye hospital supported by the Anglican Order of Malta as well as the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, run by the Anglican Church. He heard the testimonies of the medical staff and learned about the considerable needs that these institutions have to face. On this occasion, the Patriarchate stressed the need to maintain humanitarian and health aid to the people of Gaza.
The situation remains very serious: a large part of the medical infrastructure is destroyed or damaged and the needs remain immense. Cardinal Pizzaballa noted that reconstruction had not yet really begun and that many families continued to live in the midst of the rubble, in extremely precarious sanitary conditions.
Then came a less expected visit, the one dedicated to Al-Azhar University. In a context where so much suffering could feed resentment and hatred, the Patriarch chose to meet with hundreds of Muslim students and teachers to speak about "Interreligious Dialogue and the Values of Coexistence and Peace". According to the Latin Patriarchate’s report, the Patriarch insisted on the importance of mutual respect between believers of different religions, mutual understanding and fraternity as indispensable foundations of a peaceful society.
Father Romanelli said the students listened very carefully. One young Muslim even began his conversation with the Cardinal in Latin, a language the Cardinal speaks fluently, surprising everyone present. According to Father Gabriel, the questions that followed showed the students' interest in these themes. At the end of the meeting, the Patriarch planted an olive tree in the university compound, a symbol of peace and hope for the future of Gaza.
In a region deeply wounded by violence, speaking about interreligious dialogue was a courageous and deeply Christian choice. It reflected the central message of the visit: the Church refuses to focus only on today's emergency crisis. While responding to immediate human needs, it is also working to lay the foundations for a different future.
Through medical care, humanitarian assistance, education, and dialogue with young people, the Church of Jerusalem showed that rebuilding Gaza will involve much more than repairing buildings and roads. It will also require rebuilding hearts, strengthening human relationships, and helping people believe once again in a shared future.
This perhaps best sums up the spirit of Cardinal Pizzaballa's fifth visit to Gaza: to bring comfort to those who suffer today while patiently planting seeds of hope for tomorrow.
An extract from TerreSainte.net on-line magazine, June 24, 2026.
