Less than 2% of the population residing in Gaza professes Christianity.
On Friday, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, arrived in Gaza to visit the Church of the Holy Family, the only Catholic parish in the Palestinian enclave, which was attacked in July by the Israeli occupation army.
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Pizzaballa traveled with Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali and a delegation to oversee the humanitarian response and the rehabilitation work at the Gaza parish. The cardinal, considered a papal candidate before the election of Leo XIV, will also preside over Christmas Mass on Sunday.
His visit reaffirms the parish’s connection with the diocese and the Latin Patriarchate’s commitment to accompanying its faithful in hope and prayer during the difficult times for the Christian community.
Pope Leo XIV has spoken on several occasions with the parish priest of Gaza, the Argentinian Gabriel Romanelli, who leads the local Catholic community amidst the humanitarian crisis.
Video showing the funeral of the victims of a tragic Israeli strike on Gaza’s Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza. Three individuals lost their lives.
July 17 2025 #palestine #gaza #Eastern_christians #Christianity pic.twitter.com/gB30s3wW3N— Eastern christians (@Easternchristns) July 17, 2025
During his last visit in July, Pizzaballa was accompanied by Theophilos III, his Greek Orthodox counterpart, after an Israeli attack that killed three people in the church. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Donald Trump that the attack on the church was “a mistake.”
According to the latest available data, less than 2% of the population residing in Gaza professes Christianity. Around 400 Christian faithful from Gaza will spend their third Christmas as refugees in the Holy Family parish, surrounded by ruins and nightly gunfire.
Romanelli explained that there will be no outdoor celebrations because the war continues. He noted that the electrical system is down, the water pipes are destroyed, and half of the essential medicines are lacking.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | Middle East: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) continues to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/2D81Pgo6rH
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) November 5, 2025
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Source: EFE
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