Gaza’s Cry for Bread and Justice: The Church Stands with the Hungry

Gaza is starving. For months, its people have lived under bombardment, displacement, and blockade. 

Today, hunger has become a daily torment,  for children who sleep without food, for mothers who cannot nurse their infants, for families scavenging for survival in the rubble of what once were homes. 

The UN’s famine declaration is not just a technical term; it is the voice of a people pushed to the very edge of life.

While leaders of nations trade accusations and hesitate on decisive action, the Church continues to lift its voice. From the Pope in Rome to parish priest sheltering the terrified in Gaza, from Caritas Internationalis to small Catholic NGOs, the message is clear: hunger is not just a humanitarian issue, it is a moral scandal.

Pope Leo XIV: A Voice that Does Not Tire

At the Jubilee of Justice in Rome, Pope Leo XIV reminded the world that justice is not a legal formality but a moral foundation. “Justice is called to play a higher role in human coexistence, one that cannot be reduced to the mere application of the law,” he said. “Its aim is to guarantee an order that protects the weak, those who seek justice because they have been oppressed, excluded or ignored.”

The Pope’s words echo powerfully in Gaza, where the weak and excluded suffer most. He also underlined that, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Mt 5:6), insisting that justice must not only punish evil but also repair broken lives.

Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of the Holy Family parish in Gaza City, recalls that late Pope Francis  personally reached out to his small Christian community. 

“The Holy Father called almost daily at the beginning of the war,” Romanelli testified, “to assure us that we were not forgotten.” In the middle of bombs and fear, that pastoral voice became a lifeline of hope.

Caritas: Naming the Crisis for What It Is

Caritas Internationalis has gone further, bluntly naming Gaza’s famine a “man-made disaster.” In a recent statement, Caritas said: “The violence in Gaza violates not only human dignity but the very principles of international law. Gaza is waiting, not for words, but for salvation.” They insist that starvation as a weapon of war is not just a tragedy but a crime.

Caritas workers in neighboring countries, often blocked from entering Gaza, continue to mobilize supplies, advocate in the United Nations, and campaign so that the cries of Gaza are not drowned in political indifference.

On the Ground: The Church as Shelter

Inside Gaza itself, Catholic communities have become more than places of prayer. The Holy Family Church in Gaza City has opened its doors as a shelter. Families huddle in its halls. Food, when available, is shared. Priests and sisters risk their lives to bring medicine and comfort.

Here, the Church shows its most authentic face: broken, but present; powerless in worldly terms, yet powerful in compassion.

A Conscience Call to the World

Beyond Gaza, other faith-based NGOs, humanitarian agencies, and local parishes worldwide continue to pray, fundraise, and speak out. But the gap between words and action remains staggering.

Pope Leo XIV has warned against empty legality: “Effective equality is not the same as formal equality before the law. True equality is the possibility given to all to realize their aspirations and to have the rights inherent in their dignity guaranteed by a system of common and shared values.”

The silence or hesitation of world leaders, therefore, becomes part of the tragedy. Each day of inaction deepens the wound.

Bearing Witness, Keeping Hope

For Radio Veritas Asia, telling this story is not only reporting facts, it is bearing witness. Gaza’s cry is also a test of conscience for the global community and for people of faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus blesses “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” Today, Gaza embodies that beatitude, a people thirsting for justice, for bread, for peace.

The Church cannot solve the war. But it can and must continue to shine light: feeding where possible, praying without ceasing, raising its prophetic voice, and reminding the world that every starving child is not a statistic but a brother or sister in Christ.

Until peace comes, until the hungry are fed, the Church’s place is at their side.