Holy Family parish recognised for ‘extraordinary witness’ in Gaza

‘In a city besieged by hunger and destruction, the priests and sisters of the parish serve and protect hundreds of destitute people offering an extraordinary witness to solidarity and peace.’

The priests and Religious sisters of the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza received an award for promoting reconciliation and human fraternity.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa accepted the Achille Silvestrini International Prize for Dialogue and Peace on their behalf at a ceremony in Rome on 15 October.

“In a city besieged by hunger and destruction, the priests and sisters of the parish serve and protect hundreds of displaced and destitute people – women and children above all – offering an extraordinary witness to solidarity and peace,” the citation said.

Speaking to Vatican Radio the same day, Cardinal Pizzaballa said that “we have a duty toward our communities – to help them look ahead, positively and serenely, toward a different future”.

Gaza’s Christian community “still cannot believe they were able to sleep through the night without hearing the sound of bombs”, he reported, adding that “people are returning, but they are returning to the ruins”.

He described “a new atmosphere – fragile – but we hope it will become more stable”.  New leaders must be willing to speak “a new language, new words” to counter “the narrative of contempt, rejection, and exclusion”.

The patriarch also expressed hope for the return of international pilgrims to the Holy Land: “It’s time to show solidarity not only through prayer and aid, but also through pilgrimage.”

Immediately after the ceasefire on 8 October, Caritas Jerusalem mobilised its emergency network, delivering 10,000 cans of infant formula and vital medical support to families across the Strip.

Last weekend, the UN World Food Programme warned that food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. While it had enough supplies in place to feed the entire population for three months, it needed Israel to grant full access, particularly to the northern areas most damaged by the fighting.

Israel restricted aid access last week as renewed clashes threatened the ceasefire. US President Donald Trump said it remained in place on Monday despite strikes on Sunday that the Hamas-run health authority said killed 45 Palestinians.

Bishop William Shomali, an auxiliary in Jerusalem, had voiced fears of renewed violence, warning on 15 October that “the causes of the conflict remain unresolved”.

Following the return of Hamas’ living hostages and the release of 2,000 Palestinian detainees by the Israeli authorities, the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre reported that 9,100 more detainees “remain in Israeli prisons under torturous and horrific conditions, and many of them are detained without charge or trial”.

“Before the war began, there were approximately 5,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, but it doubled, reaching over 11,000 by October 2025,” the centre’s 20 October newsletter said. “Among those currently imprisoned are 52 women and around 400 children under the age of 18.” 

On 19 October Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters in Taybeh, the West Bank’s only entirely Christian village, injuring one farmer and blocking the town’s access for over five hours. Armed settlers beat residents during the annual harvest, a key tradition for the 1,500-strong community.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday after the publication of an Aid to the Church in Need report on religious freedom, the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said that while it recognised complex tensions in the region, “we fail to understand why these Christians [in Taybeh], who are simply living their normal lives, should be subjected to such hostility”.

Nevertheless, he said the Vatican was “full of hope” for the ceasefire and the US-backed peace plan.

Elsewhere, volunteers with Rabbis for Human Rights have been joining Palestinian farmers in their fields this week to pick their olive harvest and “to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in the face of violence and military restrictions”.

Cardinal Pizzaballa will celebrate the feast of Our Lady Queen of Palestine at the Marian Shrine of Deir Rafat on 25 October. Organisers said they hoped for a larger attendance after the war restricted celebrations in recent years and prevented Christians from travelling across the Holy Land for their patronal feast.

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