The Cry of Gaza’s Parish Priest Although the media attention has died down since the ceasefire, the Gaza Strip continues to sink into an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Gaza’s Catholic priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, described the “very serious” conditions marked by the daily suffering of …
Continue reading ““It is absolutely essential that the war stops””
As Christmas approaches, the priest of the only Catholic parish in Gaza, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that his community is attempting to keep the “flame of hope” alive, and thanks benefactors for the material and spiritual support they provide to the Holy Land. “Our situation is better than …
Continue reading “Gaza prepares for a Christmas without peace, but not without hope”
The Catholic parish in Gaza prepares for Advent during an unstable ceasefire. From the heart of the devastated city, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli of the Holy Family parish describes a disastrous sanitary situation and a day-to-day existence marked by a scarcity of means for rebuilding. The parish priest calls on the international community to pray for …
Continue reading “Amid a fragile respite, an urgent plea from Gaza before Christmas”
With unemployment disproportionately affecting the Christian community, and as a gesture during the Jubilee of Hope, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ) made the decision to cancel student debt in all its schools. Even though Christians are the smallest of the three major faith groups present in the Holy Land, after Jews and Muslims, the …
The parish priest of Gaza called on his flock to “forgive all those who have failed and to ask forgiveness” for their own shortcomings, as preparation for what he hopes will be an end to this war. (Photo of the banner: a painted wall located more than a thousand kilometers away, in Beyrouth. a little …
Continue reading “Gaza: October 12, first Sunday of Peace After the Ceasefire”
As indirect talks continue in Egypt between Israeli envoys and Hamas, a cautious hope for the beginning of peace is taking root in the Diocese of the Holy Land. The parish priest of Gaza’s only Catholic parish shared with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) the heavy toll of two years of war. “Two …
Continue reading “Gaza: A first step towards peace after 733 days of war”
Aid to the Church in Need echoes Pope Leo’s call for peace The Gaza Strip is currently going through one of the darkest periods of its recent history. Yesterday a United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide against the population of Gaza, denouncing crimes against humanity in the conflict …
In a joint statement, the Latin Catholic and Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Jerusalem call on both parties to end hostilities and allow families on both sides to begin to heal the wounds of war. (Photo of the banner: Already in 2024, people in Holy Family Parish were praying for peace.) Both the Catholic and the …
Continue reading “Christian clergy in Gaza defies evacuation orders to remain with their flocks”
More than 600 young people in the Holy Land experienced a week of fun and freedom thanks to the local Church and Pontifical Charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). This year, because of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, the opportunity to get away from the difficulties of their daily …
Continue reading “Holy Land – Youth are “breathing freedom” at ACN-funded Summer Camps”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has received a new and moving testimony from Gaza, following the July 17 attack on the Catholic church of the Holy Family, which left three people dead and more than ten wounded. Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the local Catholic community, sent a message directly to …
