ASIA/HOLY LAND - Appeal of the Patriarch of Jerusalem to Aid to the Church in Need for the victims of Gaza

Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - At the request of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, the pontifical organization Aid to the Church in Need has allocated € 50,000 for the victims of the war in Gaza. The contribution will go to the most urgent needs. Currently, the injured are hospitalized both in the hospitals of Gaza and in Saint Joseph Catholic hospital in Jerusalem. Even the Christian health care institutions in Gaza are in need of immediate aid.
In addition to medical aid it is necessary to recover the Christian centers in the Gaza Strip, such as the "Holy Family" Catholic school, where there are currently about 1,000 displaced persons. Also part of the homes of many Christians have been completely destroyed. The Latin Patriarchate has asked ACS to intervene for the reconstruction of these homes. The Christian community in Gaza has about 1,300 Christians, of whom 170 belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Both the Catholic and the Orthodox Church have welcomed displaced Muslims in their buildings and during the Israeli bombardment one Orthodox Christian has died so far and several hundreds injured, some very serious. In his appeal Patriarch Twal continues to beg for help: "Please continue to pray for us, continue to be supportive and help us; we need it more than ever". Even the auxiliary Bishop, Mgr. William Shomali, launches an appeal to ACS: "The humanitarian situation is really terrible. We ask you to pray for peace, we ask you to help the poor and injured because of the war. Now more than ever is the time to support the people of Gaza", concluded the Bishop. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 06/08/2014)