His Beatitude Cardinal Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa: Gaza ceasefire more urgent than ever

His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (REUTERS)

In a new interview with Vatican News, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem repeats his appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling on both sides to make compromises.

By Federico Piana and Joseph Tulloch

“A ceasefire in Gaza is more urgent than ever.”

That's the latest appeal for peace launched by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Speaking to Vatican News' Federico Piana, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa stressed that a ceasefire is possible: “All that’s missing is the will to make it happen.”

In the course of the interview, the Patriarch also touched on the “fragile” situation of Gaza’s Christians, and the role the Church might play in peace negotiations.

The following transcript has been lightly edited for reasons of clarity.

His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa: This is not the first time we have called for a ceasefire and an end to all fighting in Gaza; we have been doing so continuously since October, along with many other religious authorities, foremost among them the Holy Father. Our latest appeal comes precisely because we are in contact with our population in Gaza; we are aware of how the situation is becoming more and more terrible every day.

Q: Why do you think a ceasefire in Gaza is possible?

The elements for a possible ceasefire have always been there; all that is missing is the will to make it happen. It requires both sides to have the willingness to reach compromises, because it's clear that compromises will have to be made on both sides. It seems to me that at this moment, because the Holy Month of Ramadan is approaching, and also because after five months, there is an obvious weariness about the situation, the time is ripe to take a different path.

Q: There has recently been news from Gaza that has shaken the world: this carnage that happened while people were queueing for humanitarian aid. How did you feel when you heard this news? What else can you tell us about what’s happening in Gaza?

My reaction was, like everyone else's, one of great dismay. Dismay for the chaos into which the entire Gaza Strip has fallen, and dismay for the hunger that has spread, especially in the north of the strip. I know personally that the delivery of food and gas to the strip is increasingly difficult, as those images showed. For example, the Christians in the Strip cook only once or twice a week, at most, and what they cook must last for the whole week. This shows the situation we’re in.

Water is scarce, and what is available is not clean, so, even from the perspective of diseases, the situation is increasingly fragile. Medicines are also lacking; practically everything is missing. I think everyone realizes that we cannot go on like this. I have seen that they have started to drop parachutes with food parcels, but other more coordinated, systematic solutions need to be found because, if we continue like this, it will simply be chaos upon chaos…


This report was originally publsihed on the website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.