Pope Francis plans to launch a humanitarian project in Gaza or the West Bank with the possible help of the traditional Good Friday collection for the Holy Land, said the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.
“The outbreak of the war in Gaza, after the events of 7th October, paralysed the Holy Land. The lack of pilgrims and tourists has put thousands of families in difficulty,” the dicastery said in its annual appeal to bishops around the world asking them to urge their people to generously support this year’s collection.
“The Holy Father intends to carry out a project with humanitarian purposes in Gaza or the West Bank, which can help the population resume a more dignified life and create job opportunities once the war is over,” said the appeal published on 8th March.
“This project could be realised with the offerings of the faithful from all over the world who participate in the collection for the Holy Land.” The collection “is not merely a pious tradition for a few,” wrote Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the dicastery.
“Everywhere in the Catholic Church, the faithful have an obligation to offer their contribution,” he wrote, “because, apart from the custody of the holy places that saw Jesus, there are still Christians living and operating in the Holy Land, amid many tragedies and difficulties often caused by the selfishness of the powerful of the world.”
Picture: Smoke rises in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (OSV News photo/Clodagh Kilcoyne, Reuters)
