Fr. Romanelli in Gaza, concern over escalation in Lebanon as more die daily in Gaza
For the parish priest of the small Latin rite community, “the war will not end soon,” now that it involves Lebanon. More than 16,000 children have died in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict out of a total death toll of 41,000. For the small Catholic community, the priority is schooling, even if it has to take place in improvised classrooms in the church itself so as not to lose the year. A day of prayer and fasting for peace will be held on 7 October. Many “only want an end to the violence.”
Milan (AsiaNews) – The Christian community in the Gaza Strip "is saddened and concerned about the expansion of the conflict" with the opening of the northern front, Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, and Iran’s missile strike, all elements that foreshadow further escalation, this according to Fr Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Latin Church of the Holy Family, speaking to AsiaNews by phone after celebrating Mass early this morning.
"All these elements,” said the priest, “unfortunately suggest that the war will not end soon, that the situation is worsening across the region, and that even here [in the Strip] every day, there are dozens of deaths, wounded, gunfire and bombing.”
In recent days, world attention shifted to the border between Lebanon and Israel, as clashes between Hezbollah and Israel intensified, following Hassan Nasrallah’s killing.
The death of the Hezbollah leader led to Iran’s retaliation with at least 180 rockets fired at Israel, which has not revealed the extent of any damage inflicted with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatening a harsh response to the Islamic Republic.
Tensions and violence are increasingly reducing the chances of diplomacy and hope for a truce, while Pope Francis (and before him the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem) has called for a day of prayer and fasting on 7 October.
This symbolic date will mark one year since Hamas attacked across the border, exploiting flaws in Israel’s security, killing about 1,200 people and leaving a wound that is still unhealed, especially since the extremist group is still holding scores of hostages.
Israel responded with a brutal military campaign that killed more than 41,000 people in one year. “Of those, at least 16,000 are children,” Fr Romanelli stressed.
“For 7 October, we will start early in the morning with adoration, then leave the church free for the children’s lessons (since no other space is available). At the end of school, around 2 pm, we will start adoration again for another five hours, then we will recite the rosary for peace and the evening Mass dedicated to Our Lady, practising penance and fasting.”
“In recent weeks, we hear less army drones and this is a relief to the ears. For months, day and night, we heard the incessant, non-stop noise. Instead, the explosions from air strikes continue, as does the war and a state of anguish reigns among people because no one knows what will happen next.”
"On the day of Iran's attack, a group of 35 people who wanted to return to Gaza City from the south were killed by the Israeli military, shot only because they tried to return to their homes,” he bemoaned. Israel has banned crossing the corridor that splits the north and south of the Strip.
The death toll, he warns, has turned "into something cold, but every violent death is always a tragedy; a suffering family is left behind and the war only worsens this condition.”
Since he returned to the parish, after being stuck in Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the early months of the conflict, Fr Romanelli tried to "restore apostolic activities in collaboration with the assistant parish priest, Fr Youssef: adoration, Mass for the whole community, praises in Arabic, sermons, community rosary with lay people and religious men and women, initiatives in the oratory for children and teenagers, even some moments of leisure with bingo for families.
He noted that “psychosocial activities are conducted” with a Catholic association. “Goods are handed out thanks also to the aid from the Latin Patriarchate and the Order of Malta.”
Despite the daily privations caused by the lack of electricity, the destruction of infrastructure, and the great hardships and needs, the priority remains educating young people, so that they do not miss the 2023/24 school year.
“We have resumed classes for the children of Christian refugee families in the parish," the priest said. “In about ten days, the first exams will be held, while those at the end of the year are scheduled in a month and a half. There are five main subjects: Arabic, English, mathematics, science, and religion.”
“Lessons take place in the morning. We have also turned the small convent of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word into a makeshift school. Even the kitchen is sometimes used as a classroom and the church itself. In the garden, we set up three huts with a makeshift plastic roof... In total, at least 185 young people are now able to attend class and continue their studies.”
With the prospect of a wider conflict, some in the Christian community closely follow events, while others express a feeling of detachment amid widespread mistrust “with people not knowing whom to believe", the parish priest said.
“I know many people of peace who are tired of war, who do not even hold grudges because they say they do not have any strength left. They only want an end to the violence. Like us Christians, who support ideals of peace, thousands of Muslim neighbours also want peace, that everything end so that they can rebuild Gaza, which is a flattened city.”
Lastly, Fr Romanelli addressed a final thank you to Pope Francis, who has never forgotten the Strip "and almost every day sends us his blessing and greets the kids."
Meanwhile, the international community seems to be indifferent, or powerless in the face of the suffering of 2.3 million people who “live in indescribable humanitarian conditions”.
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