by Father Simon Pietro Herro, Ofm
In the heart of darkness, where images of destruction, genocide, hunger and siege follow one another, a Christian testimony shines that embraces the earth and humanity together. Staying in Gaza has never been an easy choice; It is a profound act of faith and a message of human resistance, proclaimed both by the Catholic and Orthodox Church, stating that Christians remain next to all the inhabitants, without abandoning the brothers or their landalthough the fire flareks and the cry of oppression is strong.
Staying in Gaza is not only a religious position, but a cry of conscience against forced displacement, a refusal to bend to the logic of the strength that wants to eradicate people from their roots. It is the testimony that true humanity translates into action: being together in pain, in scarce bread, in the water denied, and in the prayer that rises as incense from the hearts pierced by mourning.
In the midst of hunger and deprivation, the Church testifies that weakness can become strength when man clings to his values and faith. The Christians of Gaza are not seen as an isolated minority, but as an inseparable part of a single people, sharing together pain and hope – in the tears of children, in the tenacity of mothers, in the prayer of Muslims and in the silence of the faithful Christians in front of the altars.
Staying here is not suicide, but life in its highest meaning: it is refusal of forced displacement, attachment to dignity, and it is insistence in proclaiming: “We are here, and we will not erase ourselves from the memory of this land”.
Today Gaza offers a Viva Christian testimony that says to the world: it is not enough to pray from afar, you have to be with man where he is. It is a testimony against the surrender to threats and against the idea that life can be experienced only away from danger. True life lives in the depth of solidarity, in bringing the cross, in sharing the fate of the people until the end.
As, The church in Gaza becomes light in the darkness and voice that echoes with Christ: “Do not fear, I am with you until the end of the world”.
