Christian leaders call for a stop to destruction of churches, Christian presence in Holy Land

[Anglican Communion News Service] Leaders spanning several Christian traditions have called for groups within Israel to stop their destruction of holy sites and civilian lives in the Holy Land.

The Most Rev. Hosam Naoum, Anglican archbishop in Jerusalem and primate of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, recently shared a statement from the patriarchs and heads of local churches in Jerusalem that identified an “intensifying trend of systematic and targeted attacks” against Christian citizens in Taybeh, a Christian-majority settlement in the West Bank.

The statement, shared on July 14, outlined a recent instance in which “radical Israelis from nearby settlements intentionally set fire near the town’s cemetery and the Church of Saint George, which dates back to the 5th century.”

On July 16, the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church, shared a letter on the crisis in Gaza. Speaking of his “grief and outrage at the recent attack on Taybeh, the last all-Christian village in the West Bank,” he wrote, “Extremist Israeli settlers destroyed crops and olive groves, damaged historic buildings and water systems, and attempted to burn its ancient Byzantine cemetery and fifth-century Church of St. George.”

A statement was released on July 17 from the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine to “bear witness to a dangerous and accelerating reality, one that poses an existential threat to the Christian presence in the Holy Land, violates the sanctity of places of worship, and strikes at the heart of Christian and human values alike.”

The statement reports, “This morning, the Holy Family Latin Church in Gaza was subjected to a direct Israeli airstrike. The attack, so far, claimed the lives of two members of the community, and left several others critically wounded, including the parish priest.”

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem also issued a statement on July 17 regarding the attack on the compound of the Holy Family in Gaza, which belongs to the Latin Patriarchate. The statement “strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place.”

The Latin Patriarchate urged “leaders to raise their voices and to do all what is necessary in order to stop this tragedy which is humanly and morally unjustified.”

Pope Leo XIV also renewed his call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza following this military attack on the only Catholic church in Gaza. Vatican News reported that the damage was inflicted by a tank.

The Christian charity Embrace the Middle East reported that the Holy Family Church in Gaza was being utilized as “a sanctuary for displaced civilians” and that two elderly women seeking psychosocial support from a partner charity of theirs were “severely wounded and were transported by ambulance to Al-Ahli Hospital,” which is operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Jerry Pillay, has shared his distress at the news of fatalities after the attack on the church, saying “places of worship must never be targets,” calling attacks on sacred sites “a grave violation of international humanitarian law and human dignity.”

The organization Churches for Middle East Peace also released a statement on July 17, which “condemned” the attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church and called “on the United States government, the international community, and all parties to the conflict to immediately implement a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire. We urge leaders to ensure the protection of civilians, religious sites, and humanitarian centers and to uphold international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits the targeting of civilians and houses of worship. In addition, urgent humanitarian assistance must be provided to all those displaced, and especially those injured by this attack.”

In response to the destruction inflicted on the Holy Family Catholic Church and casualties caused on July 17, Israel Defense Forces said, “An initial inquiry into reports regarding injured individuals in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City suggests that fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly. The cause of the incident is under review.

“The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them.”

Links to the statements from religious leaders referenced are available here.