LONDON (RNS) — Church leaders in Jerusalem have joined with the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and condemn the bombing of the Orthodox church there. The leaders also urged greater security for hospitals and places of worship.
The Oct. 21 statement, signed by the patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem, came after Archbishop Welby spent several days in Jerusalem following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing assaults on Gaza by Israeli forces.
“We, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, having gathered in prayer with Jerusalem’s honorable guest, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, join with him in expressing, in the strongest possible terms, our condemnation of the Israeli airstrikes that exploded without warning at the Orthodox Church compound of Saint Porphyrios in Gaza,” the statement said.
The Oct.19 bombing of St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church, which killed at least 18 people who were sheltering inside, came just two days after a rocket attack on the Anglican-run al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, which left hundreds dead. Who was responsible for the attack on the hospital is disputed, with evidence indicating it was a misfired Hamas rocket.
Both the church and hospital highlight the presence of Christian organizations working in Gaza and the plight of Palestinian Christians, whose numbers have fallen to less than 1,000. Two of the three centers for Christians in Gaza have been devastated by attack, with only the Catholic church, to date, left unscathed.
Welby, who is spiritual head of the Anglican Communion and primate of the Church of England, said his visit was to express solidarity with Christians, especially the Anglican archbishop of Jerusalem.
“I join with the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem calling for a humanitarian ceasefire so that aid can safely reach the innocent civilians of Gaza,” Welby said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that included the full text of the statement.
The statement from the patriarchs and heads of the churches in Jerusalem, including the Latin patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Theophilos III, patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, urged “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire so that food, water and vital medical supplies can safely be delivered to the relief agencies ministering to the hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in Gaza, including those operated by our own churches.”
The international community, they said, should “immediately enforce protections in Gaza for sanctuaries of refuge such as hospitals, schools and houses of worship.”
“We call upon all warring parties to de-escalate the violence, cease from indiscriminately targeting civilians on all sides, and operate within the international rules of warfare,” they continued.
The attack on St. Porphyrios, the church leaders said, caused two church halls to collapse around scores of refugees, including women and children, sleeping there. Dozens were crushed. Of the 18 so far confirmed dead, nine were children, according to the statement.
While the three Christian institutions in Gaza — the Greek Orthodox church, the hospital and the Catholic church — focused on Christians, they also helped the rest of the community. “Our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to minister to the most vulnerable,” wrote the church leaders. “And we must do so not only in times of peace. The church must especially act as the church in times of war, for that is when suffering is at its greatest.”
