By Barb Arland-Fye
Editorial
Pope Leo XIV has described the civilian population of Gaza as “crushed by hunger” and “exposed to violence and death” (vaticannews.va). He continues to call for an end to this humanitarian crisis caused by the war between Israel and Hamas, which began in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel. Catholic Relief Services, citing the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said, “… hundreds of children and adults have surpassed the limits of their physical endurance and are at imminent risk of death” from starvation and malnourishment.
In the midst of this human-made disaster, CRS and its partners “have reached 1.7 million people in Gaza since 2023 with food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, cash assistance and psychosocial support.” CRS, the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, emphasizes that our “Church’s historical and cultural presence in Gaza and the broader region is more vital than ever” (CRS Emergency Factsheet, July/August 2025).
We, the Church, can demonstrate our “presence” in Gaza in many ways, beginning with generous financial support of CRS and advocating for restoration of federal funding to sustain the agency’s mission to serve those most in need around the world. CRS reports in its Aug. 7 email blast that “funding suspensions and reductions since January have put entire humanitarian programs at risk — especially in places where help is most urgently needed.”
Donate online to CRS at support.crs.org/donate/holy-land-conflict, by phone, 1-877-HELP-CRS or by check: Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 5278, Tipton, IA, 52772-0517. Contact Senators Joni Ernst (ernst.senate.gov) and Charles Grassley (grassley.senate.gov) and your U.S. representative (congress.gov) to restore the reduced and suspended federal funding for CRS, whose reputation for integrity and effectiveness is exceptional.
We, the Church, can also demonstrate our presence in Gaza through prayer, individual and communal. Ask your parish to include in the Prayer of the Faithful an intention for the people suffering from hunger and starvation in Gaza, including the remaining Israeli hostages. Dedicate your preferred form of prayer to end the hunger in Gaza and around the world and for the cessation of war between Israel and Hamas.
We, the Church, can demonstrate our presence in Gaza by contacting Congress and the Trump Administration (whitehouse.gov) to convince Israel to increase the food aid it permits to pass into Gaza to ensure that people receive the sustenance they need. This advocacy is not about placing blame but about stopping and preventing death by starvation.
We, the Church, in the Diocese of Davenport, can demonstrate our presence in Gaza by increasing our awareness of hunger in Iowa and work to eliminate it. Ironically, hunger is a painful reality in our state, as the president of the World Food Prize, Mashal Husain, pointed out during the 19th annual Iowa Hunger Summit on July 16 in Des Moines. One in eight people faces food insecurity and one in six children doesn’t know where their next meal will come from, Husain said. Think about what hunger does to the hungry. It fuels shame, isolation and the slow erosion of hope, as Husain noted in a July 17 statement. What better way to live out our call in this Jubilee Year of Hope than to foster hope for those in need?
We can respond by volunteering at a food bank, pantry or meal site in our communities. Visit the websites of Feeding America (feedingamerica.org) and Iowa Hunger Coalition (iowahungercoalition.org) for more information on sites and locations.
In his final message, delivered on Easter Sunday — one day before his death — Pope Francis expressed “my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.” He appealed to the warring parties to “call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!” (BBC, https://tinyurl.com/2h4ak8c9).
We honor the memory of Pope Francis when we, as the Church, demonstrate our presence in Gaza through our prayers, our advocacy and generosity.
Barb Arland-Fye, Editor
arland-fye@davenportdiocese.org
