Palestine: The Catholics of Gaza under bombardment
The Vatican missionary information agency Fides received on July 17 the testimony of a priest and a nun from the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, in the south of the State of Israel. The Israeli bombings began in this region on July 8, and Fr. Jorge Hernandez described the living conditions of the small Catholic community and the whole population of Gaza: “One thing is sure, the crimes have multiplied. Young children are beginning to fall sick because of the fear, the stress, the shock waves and the constant noise. Parents do everything they can to distract them, so that all this violence will not overcome them. They make them play and jump every time they hear an explosion, or dance, or simply embrace them while covering their ears.” A Brazilian nun says that “there is perpetual Eucharistic adoration and the Mass is celebrated to implore pardon, justice and peace for all.
In these dramatic circumstances, Pope Francis sent a message to the pastor and the small Catholic community in Gaza to assure them of his support. “I am close to you, to the religious and to the whole Catholic community. I am with you by prayer and with all my closeness. May Jesus bless you and may the Virgin Mary keep you,” reads the short text published on the Institute of the Word Incarnate’s website, and by Fides on July 18.
(sources: apic/fides – DICI no.299 dated August 1, 2014)
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