The Bombing of Gaza’s Last Catholic Church- What This Means for the World
On Thursday, June 17, the world caught news of the bombing of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza. The Holy Family was seen as one of the last places of refuge for the Gazan people, because it provided a spiritual shelter from the chaos and violence outside of its doors. However, this refuge has now been destroyed by fragments of an Israeli missile. The question is whether Israel struck the church on purpose, and what this bombing means for the rest of the world.
Israel holds that the hit on the Holy Family Church was a misfiring, and not intentionally done to hurt the Gazan people, including the 500 individuals seeking shelter in the church. Eleven were injured, and three of those wounded have passed away. One of the wounded is the church’s pastor, Fr. Romanelli. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) has explained on a post on X that “the circumstances of the incident are under review” and reaffirmed that the IDF makes as much intentional effort as possible to assure that innocent individuals are not needlessly hurt by the violence. However, many Christians are suspicious of this and hold the opinion that Israel struck the Church on purpose and believe it stripped Christians in Gaza of a place of refuge, but also on a spiritual level, the damage done to the church has restricted the people from having the freedom of worship.
Whether or not the damage was intentional, many Christian leaders have spoken out to address the violence, such as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pizzaballa and Pope Leo XIV. The Vatican News has reported that Cardinal Pizzaballa has said that he is “not so sure” that the strike on the Church was a mistake like the IDF has claimed. The Patriarch also emphasized the fact that getting communication from Gaza to the rest of the world is a very hard process because of the violent environment. However, he is trying to obtain more information about what occurred and why. A statement has also been posted on the The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which reads: “The Latin Patriarchate strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place…The time has come for leaders to raise their voices and to do all what is necessary in order to stop this tragedy which is humanly and morally, unjustified”. In another Statement of the Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, it has been written that the attacks on Gaza are “clearly part of the systematic attacks against Christians that we see unfolding throughout the region.” The Pope has also made a firm resolution to push for world leaders to “stop the slaughter”. The USCCB states that “His Holiness renews his call for an immediate ceasefire”.
So what does this mean for the world? What can the average person do to make an impact? The first important point to remember is that praying and emptying one's heart in asking for the safety of others can go a long way. It is especially important to pray for world leaders to see the individual worth of every person’s life. However, it is necessary that because all those living on Earth share the same world, we vouch for one another’s safety and respect. This means acknowledging the value of both Israeli and Gazan lives, remembering the losses on both sides, and pushing leaders to strive for peace. Even donating to humanitarian efforts so that the children in the Gaza strip may be able to eat and drink goes a long way. This tragedy shows that now, more than ever, the world needs people to stand up for those who cannot defend themselves.
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