On Saturday the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement that confirmed that a member of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) had shot and killed two Christian women, whom it named as “Nahida” and “Samar”, a mother and daughter, inside the church compound at Holy Family Church, Gaza.
Most Christian families in Gaza have been sheltering at Holy Family Church since the start of the present conflict. Seven others were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others within the compound, the statement went on. “No warning was given, no notification was provided. They were shot in cold blood inside the premises of the Parish, where there are no belligerents,” it said.
“Earlier in the morning, a rocket fired from an IDF tank targeted the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Teresa (Missionaries of Charity). The Convent is home to over 54 disabled persons and is part of the church compound, which was signaled as a place of worship since the beginning of the war. The building’s generator (the only source of electricity) and the fuel resources were destroyed. The house was damaged by the resulting explosion and massive fire. Two more rockets, fired by an IDF tank, targeted the same Convent and rendered the home uninhabitable. The 54 disabled persons are currently displaced and without access to the respirators that some of them need to survive.”
“Together in prayer with the whole Christian community,” it went on, “we express our closeness and condolences to the families affected by this senseless tragedy. At the same time, we cannot but express that we are at a loss to comprehend how such an attack could be carried out, even more so when the whole Church prepares for Christmas.”
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said that he was “heartbroken” by the news, and by “the information provided by Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, of killings in the Church compound of the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City. I have immediately sent a message to His Eminence, expressing my horror at these events and assuring him of the prayers of Catholics in England and Wales.”
“I have twice been warmly welcomed to this parish by its people,” Cardinal Nichols continued. “They are a remarkable community of faith and genuine service to their neighbours. Together with the dedicated Religious Sisters, they have continued to provide shelter and sustenance to many people during these weeks of warfare. They are a people who yearn for peace.”
“The information provided by the Cardinal gives a picture of seemingly deliberate and callous killing by IDF soldiers of innocent civilians: an elderly woman and her daughter in the grounds of a church. This killing has to stop. It can never be justified.”
“I ask all people of faith and goodwill to continue to pray for an end to this conflict by all sides,” he concluded.
From Rhodes, Fr Luke Gregory OFM said that he had heard about the most recent attacks from the Custos in Jerusalem. “He told me of the tragic events which have befallen the only Catholic parish in Gaza, aptly named at this time of year,” he said, “commending and lauding the brave priests and nuns who have stayed there in solidarity with their people”.
Fr Gregory said he was “traumatized” by the news. “I just cannot see any justification for such total disregard for human life on either side of this non-ending tragedy,” he added.
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