Christians in Gaza, Syria ‘need everything,’ Vatican cardinal says

CNA Newsroom, Dec 23, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

The head of the Vatican’s office for Eastern Catholic Churches offered a stark assessment of the situation facing Christians in the Holy Land and Syria, warning of increasing instability and humanitarian challenges across the region.

“They need everything and we cannot give anything,” Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, told EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser in a recent interview. 

“Look at the Gaza Strip. Who is entering when the bombs are falling? People are starving.”

The Italian cardinal, who maintains daily contact with bishops in the region, expressed particular concern about Syria’s future amid shifting political dynamics following the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

“Assad has of course created numerous problems. However, he was open to working with minorities,” Gugerotti said. “We will see in the coming months what is going to happen.”

The cardinal noted that new power groups emerging in Syria include former members of Al-Qaeda and ISIS. However, he highlighted how local Church leaders are working to establish a dialogue with these groups, particularly through Bishop Hanna Jallouf in Aleppo.

“He understands these new groups in power quite well. He has become a kind of bridge between the Church and these groups, and some of them accepted to go and speak to him about their intentions toward the Catholics,” the cardinal told EWTN News.

Gugerotti warned that without international cooperation, the situation could deteriorate further. “If the United States, Russia, Iran, Israel, and all the others, Turkey in particular, if they cannot find a common language or at least share some basic principles, we will see further division, further destruction.”

The ongoing instability has accelerated the exodus of Christians from the region, according to the cardinal. He explained that Christians, who often have higher education and international connections, can more easily integrate into Western societies.

“It is a problem for us because they lose their own identity,” he said. The dicastery is working with Latin-rite bishops to preserve these communities’ Eastern Catholic identity in the diaspora, he said, hoping they might eventually return to their homelands.

The cardinal also expressed concern about broader regional destabilization, suggesting conflicts could spread beyond their current boundaries. “If a bomb falls outside the war zone, it could mean that the day after everyone will be involved,” he warned.

Despite these challenges, Gugerotti highlighted the Eastern Churches’ strong religious identity as a positive element. “Wherever they go, they are a model, an example for everybody, for all the other Christians, because they are very solid in their faith,” he said.

The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches oversees the Catholic Churches of the Eastern traditions in communion with Rome, including those in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and North Africa. The office also administers the annual worldwide Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261213/christians-in-gaza-syria-need-everything-says-cardinal-claudio-gugerotti