From June 22 to 26, the Latin primate is visiting the Strip. Masses, baptisms, meetings with Christian and Muslim families, visits to hospitals and refugee camps have been scheduled. Romanelli: “Today we have more prospects for recovery”, the parish promotes many more activities than in the past. But for there to be real change there has to be an “independent” entity that allows “freedom of movement.”
Gaza City () – In an atmosphere of “celebration and serenity”, the Christians of Gaza received the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who will be in the Strip from June 22 to 26 for an intense and participatory pastoral visit. , with many scheduled events. Last year, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, an Argentine priest of the Incarnate Word who is parish priest of the Holy Family, explains to , the territory “suffered the consequences of the terrible blitzkrieg in May”, while this year the situation is much better. . “On Easter – he explains – the Israeli authorities granted many more exit permits, and for a longer time, allowing visits to families in Jerusalem or in other areas of the West Bank. Today there are greater expectations of recovery than before “as can be seen” in all the activities promoted by the parish.
“It has already become a custom – says the priest – that the patriarch comes to visit us a couple of times a year, but this time for five days, which is a long time, and that is a blessing for all of us”. Latin Primate is intense, he arrived on June 22 and was received by Muslim and Christian teachers, along with the faithful of the parish, he visited the two houses of the Sisters of Charity and in the afternoon he met some families who invited him to their homes. Yesterday he traveled to the south of the Strip, to the border with Egypt, where he toured Caritas projects – including mobile clinics for poor families – and refugee camps. In the afternoon, there was a moment of meeting with some 60 members of the San José scout group.
Today Patriarch Pizzaballa celebrates the Mass of the Sacred Heart, then the community gathers for an “Open Day” of celebration and activities organized by the parish. Tomorrow the blessing of some houses and the visit to two hospitals are planned, followed by a meeting with Christian and Muslim families. Finally, on Sunday, June 26, he will celebrate solemn mass during which he will baptize a child from the Holy Family parish.
A party atmosphere, a meeting, a desire to celebrate to overcome difficult years of wars, violence, cross-border attacks and responses -sometimes harsh- from the Israeli army. The last escalation was in May last year, when just over 10 days of conflict caused the death of 13 Israeli civilians hit by missiles from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, including two children, and 114 wounded. The number of victims in the Strip was higher, with 256 civilians and militiamen killed, 66 of whom were minors. In addition to the trail of blood, the war has left rubble and devastation, adding to an already precarious situation in what many call an open-air prison. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs speaks of 258 buildings destroyed and 53 schools, 11 clinics and six hospitals damaged.
“Today – says Fr. Romanelli – the reconstruction is progressing, water treatment plants are being built, we have electricity eight hours a day instead of two as before, the roads are being repaired using a kind of brick, because we don’t have tar here. There are also new buildings and also Israel has granted 10,000 work permits for Gazans who can go to Israel or Palestine for trade or business, that way there is more money circulating and daily life is less hard. There are still drawbacks, but the situation is better”.
Until East Jerusalem and the West Bank have the chance to be independent, with doors open to the world and trade, free travel and unrestricted movement, radical change will be impossible. “This – observes the priest – continues to be the priority for there to be a fairer and more stable society in Gaza”. On the other hand, “the consequences of the blockade and the wars” are still evident, which before “could be seen in young people and children”, but today also affect “adult society, which suffers from deprivation”. Critical elements that “unite Christians and Muslims” and to which the Church tries to respond “by establishing in the parish and in schools environments that favor community life, helping the poor and vulnerable people.” “We want to create for all Christians, Catholics and Orthodox – he concludes – an oasis where they can live their spirituality in a serious and strong way, where they can embark on a path of formation, play and have fun. Today the patriarch will also inaugurate a multipurpose playing field for basketball and soccer, where a tournament among the youth of the parish will immediately begin.”
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