In Gaza, visiting bishops see signs of hope amid continued destruction

Friday, Jan. 15, 2016

JERUSALEM (CNS) — From a new playground at the Catholic parish in Gaza to  transitional housing provided by a U.S. agency, visiting bishops from three  continents said they saw signs of hope and resilience amid the continuing  poverty and destruction in the Gaza Strip.

“There is still a lot of suffering,  but I’ve seen more signs of hope. This year one of the main things (that  impressed me) was this sort of hope,” said Bishop Lionel Gendron of St.  Jean-Longueuil, Quebec. “There are a few signs that it is possible to rebuild in  a very simple way. Last year, I thought it was truly awful; this year, hope is  there.”

Bishop Gendron and Church representatives from Europe, the United States and South Africa visited Gaza before the start of the Jan. 9-14 Holy Land Coordination, an annual meeting in which visiting bishops visit vulnerable Christian communities in the Holy Land.

In Gaza, still rebuilding from a 2014 war with Israel, the group visited some of the families who are using the wooden transitional housing donated by Catholic Relief Services, said Bishop Gendron.

“It might not be what there was in the past, but at least it is something, and  they have a home and can live like human people,” he said. “In this Year of  Mercy, the church is merciful with all the suffering of the people.”