The Catholic Church has all the time served as a sublime model to be emulated with regards to the verbatim application of the divine teachings of Lord Jesus, as stated in the Holy Bible, which call for love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.
This position was substantiated on several occasions by the noble deeds of the Catholic Church leaders, and it suffices to mention the numerous times His Holiness Pope Francis presented aid to peoples suffering from various forms of disasters including wars, drought, conflicts, famine, and diseases.
The Pope has frequently said that the Church must "humbly serve the poorest in society". He established an emergency fund to aid those being “tragically impacted” by the Covid-19 virus and frequently welcomed the poor, homeless and unemployed as guests of honor for a Mass and gourmet meal in the Vatican on Sundays, saying that helping the needy was one way of obtaining a “passport to paradise”.
The merciful teachings of the Holy Bible have been reverberating worldwide and the good news has caught headlines in the most popular social networking sites.
Among the propitious news that has recently surfaced in the most popular social networking sites is the appeal made by Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa which called for helping the Christians living in the Gaza Strip who were negatively affected by the recent spate of violence. This appeal includes all parishes and churches in the Diocese of the Latin Patriarchate with the intention to devolve the collection of Sunday, May 30, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity in “a sign of solidarity to the Christian community in Gaza.
Patriarch Pizzaballa said, "In the aftermath of the tension and conflict we have recently experienced, let us turn our hearts and gaze to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in Gaza and in places severely affected by the recent exchange of rocket firing for eleven days.” He added, "Their sufferings have worsened with the deadly clashes and bombings as they continue to struggle with COVID-19 that continues to spread in their area. I ask you to share some of your resources to alleviate the sufferings of our Christian faithful in Gaza.”
With Gaza Christians welcoming with joy the initiative of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Fr Gabriel Romanelli, the Argentinian-born priest of the Incarnate Word who heads the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, told AsiaNews, “We are quite well now. We can say that we have benefited from the special protection of the Lord, because, despite the very heavy bombing, no member of the community was hurt.”
Fr. Romanelli added that spiritual and economic support for the Christian community in the Holy Land is important through “prayers and sacrifices, so that we can continue to bear witness with hope, serenity and joy.”
Over the years, the Catholic Church has been caring for the homeless as press reports had earlier indicated that the Catholic Church in Lebanon pledged to restore 200 houses in stricken Beirut. By doing so, the Catholic Church reveals to the entire world its devoted and strenuous efforts to alleviate the suffering of people and to help the needy in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Church as inspired by the words of Lord Jesus Christ: "Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." (Luke 6:20-21 )
Furthermore, recent reports have been circulated indicating that the Custody of the Holy Land has been offering more than 582 houses in Jerusalem (inside and outside the Old City), as well as 72 houses in Bethlehem to Christian families. This step is designed to provide accommodation for a total of about 2,050 people, and consequently to entrench the Christian presence in these two cities in the Holy Land, and to maintain the Christian presence in the Land of Lord Jesus.
Patriarch Pizzaballa thank you for your perspicacity as well as for your noble and sublime initiative. Many thanks go as well to the universal Catholic Church that acts in the nick of time to alleviate the suffering of humanity.
