Caritas Jerusalem suspends activities in Gaza and Israel but announces emergency plan

A view of the separation wall between Israel and the Palestinian Territories from behind a window in the Comboni Sisters’ house in East Jerusalem. / Credit: Marinella Bandini

Jerusalem, Feb 17, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Comboni Sisters have been living on the border of East Jerusalem since 1967. Running along the border of their property is a wall, constructed by the Israelis in 2009, dividing the village of Bethany/al-Eizariya — renowned as the site of the resurrection of Lazarus. The sisters’ residence remains on the Israeli side, while the church and the tomb of Lazarus are on the Palestinian side, on the other side of the wall.

“For us, the passage from Scripture that says ‘in Christ the wall of separation between peoples has been broken down’ is very powerful [Eph 2:14], especially when there is a physical wall in front of us that clearly indicates this separation,” Sister Anna Maria Sgaramella, provincial councilor and coordinator of the Middle East Zone for the Comboni Sisters, told CNA. 

Sgaramella arrived in Jerusalem for the first time on Sept. 26, 2000. The very next day, the second intifada — a major uprising by Palestinians against Israeli occupation — erupted. She witnessed the siege of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where she taught theology. 

Later, she was transferred to Egypt, where in 2011, she witnessed the uprising known as the “Arab Spring.”

Since 2013, Sgaramella has permanently returned to Jerusalem and now faces another long and bloody conflict. “I have always been struck by the deep sense of hope and determination to move forward among the Palestinian people. With this war, I see it weaker; people are more exhausted,” she said.

There are currently six Comboni Sisters in Jerusalem and each is involved in a specific ministry. They usually come together for morning Mass and evening vespers as well as for meetings and reflection. Their community house is open to religious individuals seeking periods of study or discernment and serves as a center of spirituality for both the congregation and the local Church. The sisters host educational workshops and spiritual exercises as well as welcome pilgrims.

Sgaramella shared with CNA what it’s like to live on the border. 

“With the construction of the wall, we found ourselves in the middle, between Palestinians and Israelis,” she explained. “The Palestinians attempt to bypass the wall — especially to pray at the Dome of the Rock — while the Israelis try to repel them in an endless game.” 

“Being in the middle is a physical position that has also become a spiritual one,” Sgaramella continued. “We had to reflect and decided to ‘stay in the middle,’ between these two peoples, to serve as a bridge between them. By placing ourselves in the middle, we listen to the injustice faced by the Palestinians and also to the fears of Israeli families.”

For this reason, the religious community has chosen to maintain a small presence in the Palestinian area. Two sisters reside in an apartment beyond the wall, about 100 feet from the Comboni Sisters’ residence. 

“We desired to stay and share the lives of those people and accompany the small remaining Christian community there. Every time they need to reach the community, they have to travel 18 kilometers [about 11 miles] passing through the Israeli checkpoint,” Sgaramella explained.

The sisters do not do this simply in the spirit of altruism, explained Sgaramella, who is also involved in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. “We understood from the beginning that being in the middle comes at a cost. It often means getting hit from both sides. On one hand, there are stones and Molotov cocktails from the Palestinians that land on our property; on the other hand, we are under the smoke of tear gas launched in response by the Israelis,” she said.

One incident happened the night of Oct. 6, just hours before the Hamas attack on Israel. Some Molotov cocktails landed on the synthetic grass in the part of the property that houses the kindergarten, causing a fire — the signs of which are still visible today. The fire destroyed the grass, playground equipment, and blackened the recently painted wall.

The kindergarten is a work that the Comboni Sisters have been carrying out since their arrival and today it serves as an important point of connection with the surrounding community. This significance has grown, especially after the construction of the wall.

“The presence of the kindergarten has never been questioned, neither with the wall nor with the war,” said Sgaramella, who is the director. The kindergarten is attended by approximately 40 children, all of whom are Muslims, divided into two classes. Formally, it is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Ministry of Education. “It is a project that meets the needs of the people; furthermore, episodes of violence never occur during the day when the children are present,” she added.

Every morning, the children begin with a prayer. “We tell the parents right from the start,” Sgaramella explained. “It’s a prayer of thanksgiving for what God has created, for the day, for life, a blessing for parents, neighbors, friends, and also for children who suffer. We pray for peace in the world and in this country.”

Regarding the families, she shared: “There is great trust and respect. They usually choose to send their children here, especially for moral education and English-language instruction.”

Most of the children come from East Jerusalem, but some also come from al-Eizariya. One of the two teachers, Nihal Hashmime, who is also the vice director, has to pass through the checkpoint every day to get to work.

“With the war,” the sister told CNA, “we faced some educational challenges because initially, some children were absent. The work we do with them is to impart certain values, such as peace, friendship, love, and respect for differences.”

Play is also an important aspect. “Children here do not find toy weapons, and they are not allowed to bring them from home,” Sgaramella said.

“Our attempt in education and all other activities is to break down this wall that leads to seeing the other as an enemy,” Sgaramella said. “Sometimes it is difficult to recognize the universality of salvation. We know that Jesus died for everyone, but in certain conflict-ridden contexts, it is challenging to acknowledge the other as a brother. Personally, the field of teaching theology provides me with the space to build bridges among believers. Because in every religion, there are sincere believers seeking truth.”

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Worshippers attend a mass at Ouagadougou’s Catholic cathedral on June 12, 2022, in Burkina Faso. The country has been grappling with Islamist terrorism since 2015 and Christian communities live in fear of furhter attacks. / Credit: OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP via Getty Images

ACI Africa, Sep 5, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Two Catholic priests serving in the West African nation of Burkina Faso have spoken about the threats that terrorist groups pose to Christians in the country, saying the people of God there live in constant fear.

In a Sept. 2 press conference organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, Father Bertin Namboho, diocesan financial administrator of the Diocese of Nouna, and Father Jean-Pierre Koné, a parish priest in Tansila, shared their personal experiences in the country that has been grappling with Islamist terrorism since 2015.

“Since the onset of these attacks, we have witnessed our community being torn apart. The terrorists have blocked our city, destroying essential services. There is no electricity, no water, and the health system is reduced to a minimum. The situation is critical,” Namboho lamented.

“We now have about 5,000 people in our city who have fled from the villages. They have lost everything. Their husbands and fathers have been killed or disappeared, and we are struggling to provide for their basic needs,” he said.

The economic toll on the western town of Nouna is equally devastating, he said, adding that the destruction of infrastructure has disrupted local commerce, leaving residents without access to banks and essential services.

“The entire city has been under siege, with no access to food or medical supplies. The situation is extremely difficult for everyone,” the priest said. 

He recounted his personal experiences with the terrorists, saying that various encounters have instilled in him “profound fear.”

“During my travels for the church’s work, I have faced armed groups who question and threaten us. I was with nuns, and we were stopped and searched. It is terrifying to face such hostility and know that priests have been kidnapped and killed,” he recounted, adding: “We are constantly living in fear, unsure if we will survive each day.”

For his part, Koné, who has been serving in Tansila parish since October 2022, spoke about the escalation of violence across Burkina Faso over the years. 

Upon arriving in the town of Tansila, also in the western part of the country, Koné found the region already facing severe security challenges, he said. “The situation was tense from the beginning, but it has worsened progressively. The terrorists have targeted and destroyed all communication networks, cutting us off from the rest of the country.”

Koné recalled the devastating impact of the terrorists’ attacks on April 15, 2023, when more than 200 militants stormed Tansila. 

“They arrived in the evening and attacked the town with such force that residents had no time to gather their belongings. They looted everything — food, money, and even transportation means,” Koné recounted. 

He continued: “The destruction was immense. Our church, presbytery, and all our religious artifacts were vandalized. We returned to find everything in ruins.”

The psychological and spiritual impact of these attacks, he said, have been “profound.”

“The destruction of our church feels like the loss of our religious identity. It is as though we have been stripped of our dignity and our faith. The pain is not just physical but deeply spiritual. It raises questions about where God is in the midst of such suffering.”

Koné also spoke about the impact of the terrorist attacks on the local population, who he said is grappling with the loss of loved ones and the destruction of homes and livelihoods. 

“We celebrated a dark Christmas last year,” he said during the ACN press conference. “The attacks had left us in a state of panic and despair. Our communities are deeply scarred, and the suffering is unimaginable.” 

This article was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

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Mosul, Iraq, Jun 5, 2017 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- As government forces pry apart the Islamic State’s three yearlong grip on Mosul, Muslims and Christians have united to rebuild a damaged monastery.

A Facebook page called “This is Christian Iraq” – dedicated to connecting Iraqi Christians and maintaining the faith amid ISIS threat – recently posted a series of photos showing the joint effort.

The May 27 post said that young Muslims from the northern neighborhood joined Christians at the Monastery of Saint George, participating in cleaning and repairs.

The monastery belongs to the Chaldean Catholic tradition, an Eastern Catholic rite in full communion with the Vatican. ISIS militants vandalized the monastery – smashing windows, damaging the church’s dome, and discarding its cross.

Although still in need of repairs, the17th century monastery gathered Chaldeans for Easter celebration this year, according to the Irish Times.

“God willing, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ will also mark the return and rising-up of the Christians in Iraq,” Kyriacos Isho, an attendee of the service, told the newspaper.

A new cross has now replaced the old one, and the coming together of Christians and Muslims marks a promising time for both religions as reports announce a final push against the Islamic terrorists.

Residents have seen U.S.-backed Iraqi forces gathering around the local Grand al-Nuri Mosque in the 48 hours leading up to May 31, in what Reuters reports to be a “final showdown.”

The nearly 1000 year old mosque has flown the terrorist’s black flag since the group captured the capital city in 2014. The site is where Islamist caliphate was declared by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announcing the reign of a new Muslim leader.

Three years ago the Islamic State made roads into the Iraqi’s Nineveh Plain, and since then over 3.3 million Iraqis have been displaced internally. Christians and moderate Muslims were also subject to persecution. They were often forced to pay heavy taxes or even offered a choice of conversion or death.

Over 2016, internal and international forces reclaimed parts of the city, and Eastern Mosul had been retaken in early January of this year.

The government forces are now focusing on Western Mosul, where the mosque is located at the Old City center, and the three districts near the Western side of the Tigris River.

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