Help for Christians caught in Holy Land crisis

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has committed $200,000 in aid to Christians in the Holy Land during its current crisis. This aid will support impoverished Christians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, as well as Christian migrant workers and asylum seekers in Israel.

Gaza Strip

There are about 1,000 Christians in the Gaza Strip. Most of Gaza’s Christians are sheltering from the war in the Holy Family Catholic Parish and the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius. Hundreds of families have been crowded into church compounds, with dire shortages of food, medicine, and water.

ACN is supporting the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ) in securing a constant supply of necessities, including hygiene kits, medicine, food, and fuel, for isolated Christian communities in the Gaza Strip.

West Bank and East Jerusalem

Although the conflict is centered in the Gaza Strip, it has also badly impacted Christians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The West Bank is home to roughly 37,000 Palestinian Christians, and 10,000 Christians live in East Jerusalem.

Christians in the region are heavily reliant on the tourism sector for employment. With most pilgrim and tourist traffic having ceased, many local Christians have lost their main source of income, while others are unable to travel to work in Israel due to the closing of checkpoints and other restrictions.

ACN is working with the LPJ to provide emergency assistance to the Christian communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This assistance is mainly comprised of medical support, food coupons, and subsistence aid for rent and essential bills, such as water and electricity.

Israel

In September 2021, the LPJ established the Vicariate for Migrants and Asylum Seekers (VMAS) to care for the 100,000 Catholic migrants and asylum seekers living in Israel. These migrants’ legal statuses vary, and many are employed in low-cost labor jobs.

Hundreds of Christian migrants in the Gaza Strip were forced to flee and seek refuge in East Jerusalem, mainly in convents, Christian guesthouses, and other Church facilities. Others have sheltered in churches in different parts of Israel.

ACN is helping the VMAS provide accommodation, health care, and other essential services for displaced Christian migrants in Israel.

Latin Patriarch thanks ACN

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, expressed his gratitude to ACN for its ongoing collaboration with the LPJ and its support for Christians in the Holy Land during this time of crisis: “Thank you for your donations and solidarity with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Please continue to pray for our small Christian community as they give unwavering witness to faith and hope.”

—Conn McNally