Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, said on Friday that Pope Francis is known by the children of Holy Family Church in Gaza as “the grandfather.” 

During a Dec. 6 press conference organized by Aid to the Church in Need International, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem told journalists “the pope is calling every day at 7 p.m.”

“It became a kind of status quo,” Pizzaballa said with a laugh. “Maybe half a minute, 30 seconds, maybe more, maybe less. And now he became the grandfather of the children, the pope, because he’s talking. They now know that he is calling.”

“For the community of Gaza it is a very big support — psychological, emotional, and spiritual,” he added.

This Christmas, in spite of the war and poor conditions, Pizzaballa said Holy Family Church in Gaza is preparing something special.

“Christmas is the feast of the children,” he said. “What we will try and do, if we are able, is to introduce not just food but also some toys. Something that will make a difference to the everyday life for children.”

Hope is the ability to see ‘beyond the dark reality’

According to Pizzaballa, hope in the Holy Land at Christmas is a reality in spite of the multiple and complex challenges of the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Having lived in the Holy Land for more than 25 years, the Franciscan prelate is well aware of the complicated and devastating impact of war and political tensions on Christians and other religious communities in the region.

“Where there are these acts of love — gratuitous love — there is hope,” he told journalists at the press conference.

“We have to say very clearly that we do not confuse hope with solution,” he said. “If you identify hope for the future with the political [and] social solution for the Holy Land, there will be no hope because there is no solution — not in the short-term.”

Describing hope as the “daughter of faith,” Pizzaballa said it is only by faith in a transcendent God that one has the ability to see “beyond the dark reality we are living.”

“I know many people don’t believe me,” he said. “[But] it is a reality. It is real.” 

“I find everywhere from Gaza, to the West Bank, to Jerusalem, to Israel — everywhere —  I find wonderful people who are ready to commit themselves, to engaging [themselves] in doing something for the other,” he continued.

The power of prayer 

Emphasizing the primacy of prayer, Pizzaballa said: “First of all you have to pray. I believe in the power of prayer, not because the prayer will change the situation, but the prayer will change our heart.” 

“And once we are changed, we also become the protagonist of changes for the future,” the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem added.

A call for the return of pilgrims to the Holy Land

Pizzaballa expressed his sadness that people have not come on pilgrimage to the Holy Land due to the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war since Oct. 7, 2023.

“It’s about time to go back to the Holy Land,” Pizzaballa said on Friday. “In this last year, we didn’t see any pilgrims at all and this has ruined the life of the Holy Land.”

“The presence of Christians is part of our identity, the identity of the Church,” he added. “Have the courage to come because a pilgrimage is safe. Bethlehem is open. Nazareth, Jerusalem — our city is totally safe!”

“There is hope for the future,” he said. “We are not a dying Church, we are a living Church.”

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.

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