Moderator meets Gaza priest to discuss peace

The Moderator of the General Assembly has met with Gaza's only Catholic parish priest who is visiting Glasgow to talk about his hopes for peace in the Middle East.

Rt Rev Sally Foster-Fulton took part in a panel discussion with Father Gabriel Romanelli who shared the plight of his Holy Family Parish congregation.

He said people are "living in hell" in Gaza and called for a ceasefire, describing it as a necessary step to restart dialogue between all parties.

Father Gabriel Romanelli has been unable to attend his church since 7 October last year when Hamas launched its deadly attacks in Israel and took people hostage.

He was in Bethlehem, in the Israel-occupied West Bank, at the time trying to source medicine for a nun and has been denied re-entry to Gaza so far.

However, he has been in regular contact with around 500 displaced people taking refuge in his church.

The event was organised by the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) and Justice and Peace Scotland and held at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Mrs Foster-Fulton, who was joined by other Church of Scotland and ecumenical representatives, described the Argentina-born priest as an "incredibly gracious and inspirational" man.

"It was an honour to take part in this event and Father Gabriel Romanelli spoke about building bridges," she said.

"He talked about his parish in Gaza and although it is a small Christian community, it was an oasis for people of all faiths and none."

Prior to 7 October, the church did a huge amount of outreach work to support the local community but the Moderator said the priest revealed it has since been turned into a refuge, a hospital and a cemetery.

He told the event that around 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza and 1,200 people in Israel to date.

The priest, who has served in Gaza since 2005, added that more than 4,500 people in Israel have been wounded and 77,000 in Gaza, the majority of whom are children and women.

Mrs Foster-Fulton said: "The panel agreed there cannot be lasting peace without justice but we cannot begin that process until the violence stops and humanitarian aid is allowed in," said the Moderator.

"We talked about what we can do in Scotland, across faith communities, to model the peace that we want to see globally."

The Church of Scotland has a history spanning more than 150 years in the land where Jesus lived.

He called out injustices where he saw them, and spoke of truth and freedom, and as Christians, we are called to do the same.

The Church has repeatedly spoken out about the horror that has unfolded in the Middle East since the 7 October attacks, praying that all people in the region may live in peace.

The General Assembly has previously called on the UK Government to recognise without delay the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, as a contribution to securing lasting peace and justice for all.