Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, provided his perspective in an Oct. 15 Vatican Radio interview on what is needed for longstanding peace in the Holy Land and what the Christian community in Gaza has experienced since the first phase of the Hamas-Israel peace plan began.
“We are coming out of two terrible years. The hope is that we have reached the end of those years — not just a temporary pause,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said. “This hope is shared by everyone, Israelis and Palestinians alike, right or left, from every background. Everyone wants to truly turn the page.”
According to the cardinal, perspectives and political and religious opinions vary, but “there is also a strong desire among ordinary people to live again, not necessarily in normalcy, but with a new perspective that is not war and violence.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa said the patriarchate is in daily contact with the Holy Family Parish, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, and that, while tensions remain, the atmosphere has changed.
“They keep writing that they still cannot believe they were able to sleep through the night without hearing the sound of bombs,” he said. “There are still drones, but they have been used to that for years. Otherwise, the situation remains very fluid. As is known, there have been clashes among various factions, but all this was predictable because of the suspension of the war — we still do not know if it has truly ended — and the following stages are still quite uncertain, unclear, and ambiguous.”
He said there is still much to be done; everything needs to be rebuilt and organized.
“The situation remains dramatic because everything is destroyed,” he said. “People are returning, but they are returning to the ruins. Hospitals are not functioning; schools do not exist.”
The recovery of the bodies of the deceased Israeli hostages also remains an issue, Cardinal Pizzaballa noted, adding that the chaos that has occurred complicates the situation.
“The mistrust between the parties remains high,” he said. “However, despite all this, there is a new atmosphere — still fragile, but we hope it will become more stable.”
Reflecting on how to build hope and fraternity in this climate, Cardinal Pizzaballa said, “We must not confuse hope with a solution to the conflict, which is not mediated. The end of the war is not the beginning of peace, nor is it the end of the conflict.” However, hope is the first step toward peace, according to the cardinal.
“So, we must work first of all on this — with those who still want to engage again — to create this network, both within Gaza and outside it, because we must not separate the two sides of the borders. We must build fraternity,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said. “I believe there is a need for new political leadership, but also religious leadership. This is very important, and we have already begun to make contact. We need new faces, new figures who can help rebuild a different narrative, one based on mutual respect.”
The cardinal stressed that people must not give up even though it will take a long time because the wounds are so deep.
There is hope though the steps toward lasting peace are only beginning, and Cardinal Pizzaballa stressed: “We must first of all believe in it — we must want it.”
However, no one should expect the timeline toward peace to arrive “soon,” he added, noting that past agreements have failed and undermined trust between parties.
“There will be several phases. I think perhaps the next generation will have a freedom that this generation does not have. But the task of this generation is to prepare the next one,” he said. “So, little by little, we must create the foundations and conditions, with new faces and new leadership, and above all, create environments that gradually foster a culture of respect, which will in turn bring peace.”
In the interview, Cardinal Pizzaballa also provided comments on the current situation in the West Bank, the hope of return of pilgrims to the Holy Land, the suffering of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the assasination of Yitzhak Rabin, the international debate about the recognition of the State of Palestine, and Pope Leo’s closeness to those in Gaza.
The full interview can be read here.