Cardinal Pizzaballa blesses new clinic and kindergarten in Gaza

‘We never abandoned you and you’ll never be abandoned,’ the patriarchs told the people of Gaza. ‘You will always remain our concern and our responsibility. The situation is difficult, but we face it together.’

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III visited Gaza from June 22-23.

The patriarchs blessed a new healthcare clinic, which has been established through a partnership between the Order of Malta and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, run by Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s humanitarian aid agency.

The Order of Malta said that around thirty staff members, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, will begin providing primary health care to up to one hundred people each day. 

Dr Josef Blotz, grand hospitaller of the Order of Malta, described the blessing of the clinic as “a historic milestone”: “This clinic will provide lifesaving medical care to people in need and show them that they are not forgotten,” he said.

“More than 900 years after the Order of Malta’s foundation in the Holy Land, it continues to serve those in need regardless of religion or background.”

Gaza’s healthcare system remains under severe strain: according to the World Health Organisation, only about half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational, while none are functioning at full capacity.

“Medical care for people in Gaza is currently in a catastrophic state,” said Dr Ali Ibrahim Al-Musaddar, medical director of the clinic.  “All hospitals in the Strip have sustained some level of damage, and critical shortages of medicines, medical supplies, and equipment continue to disrupt essential services.”

Cardinal Pizzaballa also visited Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital, both of which have been damaged by Israeli strikes.

The patriarchs visited families living amid the ruins and in temporary accommodation, and Cardinal Pizzaballa blessed a newly renovated building that will expand the kindergarten’s capacity for the coming school year.

“Preparations are underway to provide as many young people as possible with education,” he said. “Children who have seen so many terrible things need to encounter beauty again.

“We believe in the providence of God; he who willed for us to be here, did not bring us here by chance, rather, he calls us to work together to do something beautiful in this land. Gaza is not only war – it is also love and a desire for life.”

Cardinal Pizzaballa also participated in a lecture on “Interreligious Dialogue and the Values of Coexistence and Peace”, attended by university leaders, religious figures, civil society representatives, and students, at Al-Azhar University of Gaza.

He said dialogue between religions is “a human and moral necessity”, especially in times of conflict, and highlighted shared values such as human dignity, justice, mercy, and love as foundations for peace.

 “Hatred is more dangerous than bombardment because it generates violence,” he said. “We all have a responsibility to resist it.” 

Cardinal Pizzaballa planted an olive tree at the university, and said it is “a small but important symbol and sign of peace”.

He also visited Caritas Jerusalem’s team in Gaza, who briefed him on the services they continue to provide to the local population and on their most urgent needs, and he reaffirmed the importance of sustaining humanitarian and medical assistance for all those affected by the conflict.

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