Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, returned to Gaza together with Theophilus III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. “The visit”, reads a statement from the Latin Patriarchate, “expresses the pastoral responsibility of the Churches of Jerusalem towards the local Churches and the entire population of Gaza, where families continue to suffer serious humanitarian suffering, fear, loss and uncertainty. The presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III and His Beatitude Cardinal Pizzaballa brings the prayer of Jerusalem to the wounded faithful of Gaza and to all those who suffer, in a ministry of consolation, mercy and firm Christian testimony rooted in the Gospel and in the sacred vocation of the Holy City”.
Pizzaballa, on the second day of the pastoral visit, declared that the situation in Gaza since the beginning of the ceasefire “has not changed much, unfortunately”. “It is true, it must be recognized, that there is a little more life flowing, but the reconstruction has not begun. People live exactly where they lived a few months ago, they are in miserable, precarious situations, with little water, few, very few medicines, in the middle of the sewers. It is a truly shameful hygienic situation. I hope that something can be done to change this situation as soon as possible”, he added.
During the visit Pizzaballa blessed the Order of Malta clinic in Gaza City. In the facility, a staff of around 30 people including doctors, nurses and pharmacists will provide basic healthcare to up to one hundred patients a day. The clinic was born from the partnership between the Order of Malta and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Its activities are coordinated by Malteser International, the international relief agency of the Order of Malta.
“Health care for the people of Gaza is currently in a catastrophic condition,” says Dr. Ali Ibrahim Al-Musaddar, medical director of the clinic. “Violence continues despite the ceasefire. 60% of health facilities have been completely destroyed and many others are severely damaged.” The sanitary conditions are extremely precarious. “Skin diseases are spreading,” adds Dr. Al-Musaddar. “Almost the entire population has been repeatedly displaced and is dependent on humanitarian aid. People arrive here sick, exhausted and deeply traumatized, in urgent need of assistance.”
“The blessing of the clinic by the Latin Patriarch on the eve of the feast of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of the Order, which is celebrated on 24 June, represents a historic milestone,” said Josef Blotz, Grand Hospitaller of the Order, responsible for the charitable and medical activities of the Order of Malta. “Over nine hundred years after our founding in the Holy Land, we continue to serve people in need regardless of their religion or background. This clinic will provide life-saving medical care to people in need and show them that they are not forgotten. We are actively working to intensify our commitment in these difficult circumstances.”
Funding and donations for the clinic are provided by the German Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Aktion Deutschland Hilft, UNICEF, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Archdiocese of Munich and Paderborn. Since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023, Malteser International has managed to provide over 200 tonnes of life-saving essentials to around 25,000 people living in the parish and surrounding areas.
On Tuesday Pizzaballa also visited the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and later the Caritas Medical Center.
