Diocesan News
‘The Church’s work among the wounded, bereaved and displaced’
Visit of Patriarch Theophilos III and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa to Gaza
Patriarch Theophilos III and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited Gaza the day after the attack (July 18).
In a statement on their pastoral and humanitarian visit, during which they were accompanied by a delegation of Christians, they noted that the Church’s humanitarian presence amid catastrophe is a sacred duty. They also noted that the attack on the Holy Family Church occurred less than 48 hours after the Patriarchs and other high level church leaders visited the Christian town of Taybeh in the West Bank.
His Beatitude Theophilos III reaffirmed that the Orthodox Church, compelled by its unshakable faith, remains steadfast in its sacred mission to be present, spiritually and humanely, in times of war. Such presence, he said, is a religious and moral obligation that will not be abandoned.
The Church’s work among the wounded, the bereaved, and the displaced is a direct continuation of the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, who calls us to mercy, accompaniment, and service to all people without discrimination.
As His Beatitude declared: “Where suffering abounds, so too must our responsibility. We do not come from afar; we are of this land, of its sorrows, of its people, and of its perseverance. The Church is here to accompany, to heal, and to rekindle hope in hearts crushed beneath the weight of this ongoing devastating atrocity.”
You can read the statement in full here.
A series of gathered perspectives from Christian leaders in the Land of the Holy One.
For further information please contact:
Diocesan Communications Officer, Dublin & Glendalough
087 235 6472
Mrs Lynn Glanville
[email protected]