Post by Fr David Neuhaus SJ | 25 September 2026
Gaza in the heart
Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Defense, has spoken out repeatedly during this month of September 2026, about the need “to finish the job” in the Gaza Strip, to push Palestinians out of their homes, pressure them to leave the Strip, while the Israeli army continues to bomb almost daily, killing men, women and children and destroying homes. The Israelis maintain a full military occupation of much of the Strip and a stranglehold on the supplies that are allowed to enter. The recent collapse of a residential building, leading to the deaths of over 20 people, highlights the ever-present dangers of a devastated infrastructure. 1.7 million people remain homeless as winter approaches.
Many people of goodwill refuse to allow Gaza to be forgotten. To raise awareness, on September 22, 2026, the organization Priests against Genocide organized a march through the streets of Rome.
Read about the march of Priests against Genocide here: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/55926
Watch a video clip of the march here:
The commitment of the Church to the people of Gaza was celebrated in another rousing event. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reopened its school this month, “welcoming 1,005 students from kindergarten through Grade 12 after nearly three years of disrupted education.” 77 teachers took up again their mission of educating a new generation in the midst of the devastation.
Read about the school and see the magnificent images of the children here:
https://www.lpj.org/en/news/latin-patriarchate-school-in-gaza-officially-reopens
Emeritus Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah composed a prayer for the September 22, 2026 march of Priests against Genocide in Rome. In it, he wrote: “Here and now, in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the Passion of Jesus Christ continues in the passion of His holy people. May Jesus—who redeemed the world here in Jerusalem—bring, as soon as possible, the peace that the world cannot give. Here and now, death reigns everywhere; hatred multiplies, and blood continues to be shed. Have mercy, Lord, on the victims who have been killed—wrapped in an endless shroud—numbering well over seventy thousand people in Gaza alone. Humanity has vanished here. Pray that respect for life may dwell in the hearts of all rulers, in Jerusalem and throughout the world. May God reveal His power to all here in Jerusalem, and may His mercy be experienced. Lord, have mercy.
- Pray for Jerusalem: may it be a city of Redemption and new life. May it be a holy city for all its inhabitants, and may all become builders of peace.
- Pray for Gaza, where the genocide—which you refuse to forget whenever you connect as priests—can never be erased from the memory of history.
- Do not forget the West Bank, where ethnic cleansing is day by day stripping our Palestinian people of everything.
May Almighty and merciful God have mercy on His sons and daughters for all the evil they persist in committing during this time of genocide and ceaseless supplication. Lord, have mercy.”
(Read the full prayer in Italian here: https://bocchescucite.org/preghiere-dalla-palestina-e-il-kairos-di-gerusalemme/)