“Christ is not absent from Gaza,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said on Tuesday, July 22. “He is there—crucified in the wounded, buried under rubble, and yet present in every act of mercy, every candle in the darkness, every hand extended to the suffering.”

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was speaking at a press conference with Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, following the prelates’ recent pastoral visit to Gaza. In his opening remarks, Cardinal Pizzaballa insisted that the two patriarchs had travelled to the war-torn Palestinian territory not as politicians or diplomats, but as pastors. He insisted that the Church will never abandon the people of Gaza, emphasizing that their mission was not to a specific group, but to all: “Christians, Muslims, believers, doubters, refugees, children.”

‘Servants of the suffering Body of Christ’

His sentiments were echoed by Patriarch Theophilos, who said they had gone to Gaza “as servants of the suffering Body of Christ, walking among the wounded, the bereaved, the displaced, and the faithful, whose dignity remains unbroken despite their agony.” In Gaza, he said, “we encountered a people crushed by the weight of war, yet carrying within them the image of God.”

The Orthodox Patriarch explained that “the Church’s mission in times of devastation is rooted in the ministry of presence, of standing with those who mourn, of defending the sacredness of life, and of witnessing to the light that no darkness can extinguish.”

Humanitarian aid: a matter of life and death

Cardinal Pizzaballa, for his part, also emphasized the Church’s support for “all humanitarian actors… who are risking everything to bring life to this sea of human devastation.”

“Humanitarian need is not only necessary—it is a matter of life and death,” he said. “Refusing it is not a delay, but a sentence. Every hour without food, water, medicine, and shelter causes deep harm,” he continued, adding, “It is morally unacceptable and unjustifiable.”

Joint appeal to end the war

During the press conference, the two Patriarchs issued a joint appeal to world leaders and decision makers, calling for “an end to the war, the release of detainees, and the beginning of a true healing process that restores life and dignity to Gaza and the entire Holy Land.”

They also recalled Pope Leo’s appeal, during last Sunday’s Angelus, for the international community “to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population.”

“It is time to end this nonsense, end the war and put the common good of people as the top priority,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said, adding that together both he and Patriarch Theophilos were praying and calling for “the release of all those deprived of freedom, for the return of the missing, the hostages and for the healing of long-suffering families on all sides.”

Patriarch Theophilos made the appeal directly: “To the international community, we say: silence in the face of suffering is a betrayal of conscience. To the children of Gaza, we affirm: the Church remains beside you. And to all those who wield power, we echo the Lord’s command: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”