Latin patriarch visits Catholic community in Gaza for second time since war’s start
Pierbattista Pizzaballa visits Holy Family parish in Gaza City, home to some 400 sheltering Christians, for an early Christmas Mass; reports worse conditions than he saw in May

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa was in the Gaza Strip on Sunday for a Christmas season visit with the war-torn enclave’s Christians, some 400 of whom are sheltering on the premises of the Holy Family parish in Gaza City.
“We are living in a time filled with darkness, and there is no need to elaborate because you know it well,” the cardinal told parishioners, in remarks quoted by the Washington-based Catholic Standard. He urged Gaza’s Christians — who number some 1,000 — to keep the faith, expressing support on behalf of the entire world.
“The war will end, and we will rebuild again, but we must guard our hearts to be capable of rebuilding. We love you, so never fear and never give up,” he said.
Pizzaballa, a cardinal who originally hails from Italy, entered Gaza through the Erez Crossing at dawn, accompanied by an Israel Defense Forces escort.
“Entering Gaza is never easy — it is complicated with many issues, such as protocol and security, among others. However, there were also people who helped overcome the obstacles. This is what matters,” the patriarch said during a press conference following his visit, according to the Catholic News Agency.
It was his second time in the Strip since war broke out on October 7, 2023, when the Hamas terror group invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
#PALESTINA ????????
Luego de las palabras del Papa #Francisco ????????sobre el asesinato de niños en #Gaza y la prohibición israelí del ingreso del arzobispo católico Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Patriarca Latino de #Jerusalén y perteneciente a la orden franciscana a la Franja de Gaza, #ISRAEL… pic.twitter.com/UOZvM6T8M8
— Koldo News (@Koldo_News) December 24, 2024
The deterioration in living conditions since his previous visit, in May, was evident, Pizzaballa said: “The hygiene, the smell, all the context of life is much more harsh, more terrible than before.”
His entrance to the territory came some 24 hours after Pope Francis publicly accused Israel of preventing the cardinal from visiting the community, amid remarks accusing the Jewish state of “cruelty,” to which the Foreign Ministry responded sharply online.
During his visit, the patriarch chose “to stay for a few hours, to be with them, visit where they are living, their conditions, how they live, what they need,” he said.
“I never heard a word of anger. Never. Everything is destroyed in Gaza, but they are not destroyed. They are tired, but you can perceive life,” he added.
According to writeups of the visit in the Catholic press, Pizzaballa celebrated an early Christmas Mass, during which three children received their first communion, and three received the sacrament of confirmation.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited the graves of Naheda Anton and her daughter, Samar Anton, who were killed by an Israeli sniper on December 16, 2023, at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza.
Turn on the sound to hear the incessant buzz of Israeli army drones—this is… pic.twitter.com/ctqnslOqHR
— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) December 24, 2024
Video circulating online also purported to show the cardinal visiting the graves of Nahida Khalil Anton, an elderly Christian woman, and her daughter Samar, who were killed during fighting on the grounds of the church last December, for which the patriarchate blamed the IDF.
The military denied responsibility for the women’s deaths, saying that Hamas operatives had launched a rocket-propelled grenade at troops from the vicinity of the church, and that reports on the deaths did not match the conclusions of an initial review of what happened.
Pizzaballa’s visit came at a time of increased tension between Israel and the Catholic Church, following a series of comments by Pope Francis about the ongoing war, including a call that Israel’s campaign against Hamas be investigated as a potential genocide — a charge Israel strenuously denies, pointing to its efforts to avoid civilian casualties and to Hamas’s use of human shields.
The patriarch is expected to enter Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on Tuesday night, for Christmas Eve Mass in St. Catherine’s Church, next to the Church of the Nativity.