As a sign of solidarity with what is taking place in the Gaza Strip, His Holiness Pope Francis received on Wednesday, November 22, a delegation representing Palestinian families who came from Gaza, or have relatives there.

The delegation included Latin parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, and Fr. Simon Bajjali, who represented the Greek Orthodox Church, in addition to a number of families and students who were stranded in various places. During the meeting, Pope Francis listened to a number of testimonies presented by members of the Palestinian delegation.

After the meeting, and during his General Audience with the faithful and pilgrims at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis said, “Let us not forget to pray for those who suffer because of wars, and let us persevere in praying for peace, for what is happening currently is not war, but rather terrorism.”

Among members of the delegation was Jordanian Suhair Anastas. She was at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius for the past month. After the blatant missile attack on the church complex, she headed to spend the night at the Latin Holy Family Church. She is Jordanian and was married to the late Khader Souad Tarazi who passed away in 2014. She and her daughter, Zara Tarazi, left on Wednesday,  November 22, for Egypt, and then proceeded to Italy. They will return to Jordan on Thursday, November 23.

The participants in organizing this delegation’s visit included the Embassy of Palestine to the Holy See, the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan. The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also exerted noble efforts to facilitate the entry and exit of the delegation, especially those coming from Palestine.