Dozens of believers gathered at the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and other clergy celebrated mass. A sparkling Christmas tree was decorated with gold ornaments.
“I want to… tell you that the whole world, not just the Christian world, the whole world is with you. This is how the war will end and we will rebuild it,” the cardinal said, urging the people of Gaza never to be afraid.
His visit came as Pope Francis again criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza. He said Saturday his envoy was unable to enter the area because of Israeli bombing.
“Children were bombed yesterday. This is cruelty, this is not war,” Francis said in his address. On Sunday he called for a ceasefire.
The Pope recently called for an investigation to determine whether Israel’s actions in Gaza constituted genocide. This is the conclusion reached by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The International Court of Justice is investigating South Africa’s genocide allegations against Israel.
Israel rejects such allegations. It is said to be at war only with Hamas, but activists say the overwhelming majority of the more than 45,000 people killed were civilians.
Since 2013, the Vatican has recognized the State of Palestine, with which it has diplomatic relations, and supports the two-state solution.
