Aleteia reporter John Burger interviews His Beatitude, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, regarding the potential ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in the region.
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00:00So, your Beatitude, there's been big news this week.
00:13How would you characterize the reaction to the news of the ceasefire deal, particularly
00:20on the part of Christians in the Holy Land?
00:24I think Christians, like anyone else, we are very happy with the news about ceasefire.
00:32We know it is fragile, we know there are still some oppositions, but anyway, it's a very
00:39important turning point in this long war, a very dramatic war, and we were expecting
00:46this since a long time, so we are all very happy.
00:52What are some of your thoughts on the details of this deal that have emerged so far?
00:58Oh, there are still many things that we don't know.
01:04I think that what's important now, first of all, to stop the military hostilities, and
01:11then little by little to start to organize the life in Gaza, to introduce humanitarian
01:19supply, which is absolutely urgent, reopen the schools, and to take care of the health
01:27system which collapsed in Gaza.
01:31So I think these are the priorities.
01:35We don't know all the details, there are many things we don't know, who will rule in Gaza,
01:39what will be the political perspective after the war in Gaza, and many other things.
01:46But anyway, now what is important to stop the war, the military hostilities.
01:55Now, in their declaration that came out yesterday, the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land said
02:01that although this is a necessary...
02:03I am part of them.
02:05I'm sorry?
02:06I am part of them.
02:08Yes.
02:10You said that although this is a necessary step, the root causes that led to this conflict
02:17must be addressed.
02:18How do you see those root causes, and what steps can be taken to begin addressing them?
02:24Now, it's very complicated to answer in a short way about this.
02:30We are talking, of course, about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
02:35It is clear that after this war, dramatic as it was, we cannot go back to the previous
02:41situation and to keep postponing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the issues at the root of the Israeli-Palestinian
02:49conflict.
02:50This is not...
02:51I mean, we cannot think about this.
02:55We need, of course, new leadership.
02:59You cannot have a new vision or perspective with the same people.
03:02We need new leadership, I think it's important, and it's important also to give to both Israelis
03:12and Palestinians dignity, security, and freedom in their own homelands, Israelis and Palestinians
03:20in Romania.
03:21And so, we have to find a proper way for both of them to be here, one close to another.
03:28And now, how to do it?
03:31Of course, the process is very long, because the wounds, the hatred is very strong, very
03:37deep.
03:38But we have to start.
03:39How to do it?
03:42This is decision of politicians, responsibility of the leadership, also the religious leadership,
03:47not only the political one.
03:51Now, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is horrendous.
03:57But can you speak a little bit about what has the Order of Malta and other aid groups,
04:03as well as the Latin Patriarchate, been able to do to alleviate people's suffering?
04:09And what will it take to restore people's lives now?
04:15What we did with others, of course, is to introduce supply in the northern part of Gaza.
04:24Till now, we can arrive, we arrived approximately from 4 to 5,000 families, means about 45,000
04:35people approximately, which is 10% of the population of northern Gaza.
04:40Of course, it's not all, but it's what we can do.
04:44Till now, it was mainly food and the supply, the necessary supply for the life.
04:52Now, we are organizing something to have clinics, because the health situation was also problematic.
05:02And the other emergency that no one is talking about, and where we are trying to focus now,
05:07is the education schools.
05:09It is the second year the schools are closed.
05:13You cannot talk about the future without schools.
05:15Then the second part of the question, how long it will take, oh, this is very complicated
05:21now, to clean, first of all, and then to rebuild, it will take a long time, long time.
05:31How to, it will be very complicated, and it will be necessary to have the cooperation
05:37of the international community, other countries, a lot of money, a lot of efforts, but we have
05:42to do, anyway, we have to start doing something.
05:47What about people's spiritual condition?
05:50How has the past 15 months affected that, and in what ways have, for example, priests
05:56of the Patriarchate, and other priests in the Holy Land, been able to respond to people's
06:02spiritual needs at this time?
06:04Can you give me an example?
06:07It's not simple, but also not impossible.
06:11It's not simple, first of all, the spiritual assistance, sacraments, and so on, is done
06:17everywhere, without exception, even in Gaza.
06:20In Gaza, there is mass every day, the Eucharistic Adoration, Rosaries, the stable tradition,
06:33traditional but important spiritual assistance is guaranteed in all the parishes and so on.
06:39But, of course, we have also to work on giving hope to our people, to organize, to encourage
06:45them, because the frustration, the fears about the future, especially for the children, those
06:51who have children, are very, very high.
06:54So, and the priests, nuns, sisters, are all involved to remain with the population and
07:03to encourage them, even if it is not easy.
07:07Tell me about yourself, Your Beatitude.
07:08How have you been, how have, how you have been throughout this whole time period?
07:16What gives you the strength to get up each day and keep trying to speak of hope, when
07:23the situation at times seems very hopeless?
07:26First of all, it was difficult, also for me, from my point of view, it's not simple.
07:34Especially in this very polarized situation.
07:41But the strength, first of all, from prayer.
07:44You have to pray.
07:45Hope is the author of faith.
07:47There is no hope without faith.
07:49Faith is the foundation of hope.
07:52So, it's very important to keep alive your relations with Jesus, and this should nurture
08:00you every day in the readings of Scripture, the sacraments, the Eucharist, and of course,
08:07also the good relations.
08:09We need some important relations, meeting people, listening to them, and where you find
08:17also a lot of beautiful examples of life, of dedication, of commitment.
08:23And this also gives me strength, even if sometimes, like everyone else, I feel very
08:32tired of this situation.
08:36And of course, we're in a year dedicated to hope, the Jubilee.
08:43Where have you found that people of Gaza are finding hope in this situation?
08:49Can you give me an example, whether they're Christian or not?
08:53Well, the parish of Ranau, I know very well the parish of Gaza.
08:58I know now all of them one by one, which is the less problematic parish in the diocese
09:04right now.
09:06And I mean, despite the situation they're living, they lost everything.
09:10They lost houses.
09:11They lost jobs.
09:12They lost money.
09:14They lost the school.
09:16It's very horrible, their situation.
09:19They have all the rights to be angry and frustrated and so on.
09:27But I see children when I see, I saw them, I met them several times in this year.
09:33They are full of life.
09:35They are not, they are just doing nothing.
09:38They are all committed to do something.
09:40First of all, to help each other, but also to help their neighbors, the Muslim families
09:45around.
09:46And they are very well committed in the distribution of food, organizing the things.
09:53So I see that they are not, they are blaming and complaining.
09:59They are full of life because they are full of faith and hope.
10:05Finally, your beatitude, can we ever hope to find peace-minded leaders in the Holy
10:11Land on all sides?
10:14We need them.
10:15We have to pray that these leaders will come out, you know, one way or another.
10:25We need new faces that will help us to turn the page and to bring new light in this very
10:33wounded and deeply problematic situation of our relations between among Israelis and
10:44Palestinians.
10:46Very good.
10:49Thank you so much, your beatitude, for taking the time for this very important subject matter.
10:54And please be assured of our prayers here with the Al-Atei community.
11:01Enjoy.