"Despite difficult times, despair is not an option."
"You are not alone. Despite difficult times, despair is not an option." These were the words of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, addressing the community of Jenin, a troubled city in the West Bank, just hours after a heavy attack. Strong words, difficult even to utter under the conditions in which the population lived. Do not despair, you are not alone. It echoes what Jesus said to the widow who had just lost her only son: "Woman, do not weep." Why? Didn't she have every right to cry? Don’t the citizens of Jenin, Gaza, Hebron, Beirut, or Aleppo also have the right to cry and despair?
If we look at the facts, the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East is reaching unprecedented proportions. In Gaza, over 40,000 Palestinians, including thousands of children, have been killed by Israeli bombings, with tens of thousands injured. Hamas attacks have struck Israel, causing more than 800 deaths and over 2,500 injuries, with thousands of rockets launched. In the West Bank, at least 1,000 Palestinians have died from Israeli attacks, while forced demolitions have displaced over 2,000 people.
In Gaza alone, nearly two million people are internally displaced. Of these, 137,000 are sheltered by UNRWA, while the healthcare system is collapsing, and there is no access to water, food, or fuel for its two million residents. Numerous civilian buildings, including hospitals and schools, have been destroyed, worsening the already dire situation of the civilian population living under unbearable conditions. Why should these people hope? Perhaps this is the most dramatic and urgent question of our time. It does not concern only them but also us, powerless in the face of so much suffering. And in a month, it will be Christmas.
Once again this year, the manger in Bethlehem is ready to welcome the Christ Child, who comes and is born anew. For us at Pro Terra Sancta, welcoming this life means embracing a new hope—one that does not eliminate war or hardship but makes it possible to experience peace and see challenges from a different perspective. A few days ago, speaking with some Franciscan friends living in a very challenging situation in Syria, they told us that in their monastery, three words are forbidden: sadness, complaint, and despair. "Pain is allowed, but it must be embraced, without resentment toward God or others."
This month, we want to accompany you on a journey that begins far away and leads to Bethlehem. We will take you to Beirut, where we help children overcome war-related trauma. We will visit Syria, where, despite the economic crisis causing hunger, some refuse to abandon the country and fight for a better future. In Jordan, where schools remain critical to educating people for peace. In Palestine, and beyond... The journey begins on December 1, reaching Christmas Eve.
We will share stories of those who have not surrendered to despair, dreaming of becoming football players or skilled bakers; stories of those who choose to stay in their homeland to build a future, help others, and live better. These are small points of light that we will highlight along the way—stories and projects that may never change the overwhelming forces of politics blinded by war, but that somehow show us peace is already possible, among men and women of goodwill who dare to meet and bet on the good. And that is something.
Christmas is approaching. And more than ever, we want to declare that no! Despair is not an option. It cannot be. Not just because in less than a month, we will celebrate the year's most beautiful holiday—the most joyful and tender—around tables where sadness finds no place. It cannot be, not because we are naive. We are fully aware of the difficulties, violence, fear, and misery. But it cannot be, because somewhere, life still cries out with the hope that always resides in the human heart. In the experiences of people who feel loved and embraced where they are. In projects of education, dialogue, and encounter. It is the theme of our Christmas campaign: Despair is not an option. Never. A blessed journey to Bethlehem’s manger.
