Cardinal holds Christmas mass in Gaza

“After two years of terrible war, we are still here,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said at a Christmas mass on Sunday at the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in Gaza City. The building was struck in July by the Israeli military during its operations against Hamas. Israel stated that the strike was accidental, but Pizzaballa claimed it may have been intentional. Even though only 100 or so Catholics can live in Gaza, this cardinal seems to harbor greater animosity toward Israel than Hamas. In recent decades, the Catholic Church has disputed Israel’s rule over the Holy Land. It has a centuries-long history of seeking to Christianize the area, by violence if necessary, and Bible prophecy reveals it will happen again.