Jerusalem’s Latin and Greek patriarchs visit Gaza, vow to not abandon its Christians

Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa pledged Monday not to abandon Gaza’s Christian community as he visited the devastated Palestinian territory with his Greek Orthodox counterpart.

Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III arrived for a pastoral visit aimed at supporting both Gaza’s small Christian population and its wider community after years of war and hardship.

“We want to bring the greetings from all the churches in Jerusalem, and to bring also our prayer and our desire for support and unity,” Pizzaballa told a service at Gaza City’s Holy Family Church.

“We never abandoned you and you’ll never be abandoned,” he said, according to video published on the congregation’s Facebook page.

The visit comes as Gaza’s dwindling Christian community of around 1,000 people faces displacement, insecurity and severe shortages of basic items alongside the rest of the population.

In a statement announcing the trip, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said the visit reflected “the pastoral responsibility of the Churches of Jerusalem toward the local churches and toward the whole population of Gaza, where families continue to endure grave humanitarian suffering, fear, loss and uncertainty.”

الإثنين ٢٢ حزيران ٢٠٢٦، وصول غبطة البطريرك ثيوفيلوس الثالث، بطريرك المدينة المقدسة وسائر أعمال فلسطين والأردن، وغبطة البطريرك الكاردينال بييرباتيستا بيتسابالا، بطريرك القدس للاتين، الى غزة في زيارة رعوية، يرافقهما صاحب السعادة الدكتور جوزف د. بلوتس، المسؤول عن الأعمال الإنسانية… pic.twitter.com/RZA8NMwIno

— Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (@LPJerusalem) June 22, 2026

During their stay, Pizzaballa and Theophilos III were scheduled to meet clergy, religious communities, families and others affected by the ongoing crisis.

Pizzaballa was also expected to participate in an interfaith dialogue at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University later on Monday.

Pizzaballa and Theophilos III were accompanied by representatives of relief organization Malteser International.

Pizzaballa previously traveled to Gaza a few days before Christmas last year to celebrate mass at the Holy Family Church.

He also visited with Theophilos III last July, after Israeli tank fire struck the church, killing three people.

Israel later said that it “deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza’s Holy Family Church,” adding: “Every innocent life lost is a tragedy.”

The Foreign Ministry said at the time that Israel “never targets churches or religious sites.”

Since the early days of the war, which erupted with Hamas’s terror onslaught of October 7, 2023, members of the Catholic community have been sheltering at the compound in Gaza City, and some Orthodox Christians, as well as several Muslims, have also found refuge there.