Earlier this month, reports appeared of an attack on a Roman Catholic church in Gaza. In response, this is the statement was issued by all the church leaders in Jerusalem including Archbishop Naoum, head of the Anglican Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.“We, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, join together in profound solidarity with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the people sheltering in Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, as we bear witness to the heinous attack by the Israeli Army on the church compound there on Thursday morning, July 17, 2025. This attack not only caused damage to the Church complex, but also left three dead and ten wounded-with even the parish priest, Fr Gabriel Romanelli, being among the injured.In unyielding unity, we strongly denounce this crime. Houses of worship are sacred spaces that should be kept safe. They are also protected under international law. Targeting a church that houses approximately 600 refugees, including children with special needs, is a violation of these laws. It is also an affront to human dignity, a trampling upon the sanctity of human life, and the desecration of a holy site.We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, call upon world leaders and United Nations agencies to work towards an immediate ceasefire in Gaza that leads to an end of this war. We also implore them to guarantee the protection of all religious and humanitarian sites, and to provide for the relief of the starving masses throughout the Gaza Strip. Our prayers and support remain steadfast, calling for justice, peace, and the cessation of the suffering that has descended upon the people of Gaza.”
Caring for God's Acre is an organisation that manages churchyards for wildlife. They help us at Billingsley; four times a year they come and cut back the grass and other vegetation with a scythe. This is a very traditional way of maintaining churchyards; once the vicar would have claimed the grass to make hay. It also promotes wildlife; flowers, birds and insects. How to look after churchyards is something that sharply divides opinion. At another of our churches, Glazeley, it is managed as a lawn with the grass closely cropped and immaculate flower beds. Neither style is right or wrong; Billingsley is aimed at wildlife, but Glazeley is preferred by many visitors, especially those with relatives buried in the churchyard. At Billingsley, we have now extended the area we mow to try and get a better balance. However it is managed, the churchyard is a sacred space where people can sit, stare and, whether they acknowledge it or not, be in the presence of God. It is no accident that in the creation poem in Genesis 2, God is creates a garden where he walks in, to meet Adam and Eve, representing humanity. That is exactly what takes place in churchyards, God's Acre.