ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΤΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗΝ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ
By Helleniscope’s Editorial Team
On August 26, the Israeli Defense Forces delivered an evacuation order to the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porfyrios in Gaza City—one of the oldest Christian sites in the region, dating back to the fifth century. The order, which classified the area as a “red zone,” instructed the clergy and hundreds of civilians sheltering in the compound to leave immediately.
The response from the Church was firm and unambiguous: “We are not leaving.”
In a joint statement, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem declared that the clergy, nuns, and lay people inside the compound would remain where they are. To leave, they stressed, would be “nothing less than a death sentence” for the elderly, disabled, and malnourished Christians and Muslims alike who have taken refuge behind the church’s ancient walls. “We will not abandon them,” the statement read.
The refusal is not just an act of faith but an act of resistance, rooted in centuries of Christian witness in Gaza. The Church of Saint Porfyrios has stood through empires, wars, and occupations. Today, as bombs fall and food runs scarce, it has become a sanctuary not only for the dwindling Christian minority but also for Muslim neighbors seeking shelter.
A Broader Pattern of Pressure
This latest confrontation is not an isolated incident. In recent years, Christian leaders across the Holy Land have documented a steady rise in pressures against their communities:
Gaza: In October 2023, an Israeli airstrike struck near St. Porfyrios itself, killing more than a dozen civilians who had sought refuge inside. The current evacuation order reopens fresh wounds for the Christian remnant in Gaza, now numbering only a few hundred souls.
Jerusalem: The heads of the churches have repeatedly protested attacks and harassment by extremist groups, as well as restrictions on access to holy sites. In 2022, the Patriarchs of Jerusalem warned that Christians in the city face “a systematic attempt to drive them out.”
West Bank: Christians encounter severe mobility restrictions, economic hardships, and land seizures that accelerate their emigration. Bethlehem—once overwhelmingly Christian—is now less than 15% Christian, a demographic collapse that many local clergy blame on the ongoing occupation and settlement expansion.
The picture that emerges is stark: the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world are shrinking under pressure, their institutions either threatened or weakened.
Global Outcry
The Vatican, Orthodox Patriarchates, and international observers have condemned the forced evacuation orders. Pope Francis has repeatedly warned against “collective punishment” of civilians in Gaza, while Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem emphasized the moral duty of the churches to remain with their flock “unto the end.”
This crisis also places Israel in the uncomfortable spotlight of being accused not only of targeting Muslim civilians but also of endangering Christian heritage and life. At a time when Israel’s international standing is at its lowest in decades, the image of clergy refusing to abandon their faithful under bombardment strikes at the conscience of Christians worldwide.
Conclusion
The words “We are not leaving” echo far beyond Gaza City. They recall the steadfastness of the martyrs and confessors of the Church who, across centuries, refused to abandon their faith or their people in the face of overwhelming force.
Today, at Saint Porfyrios, that same spirit endures. In their defiance, the clergy and laity of Gaza testify not only to the survival of Christianity in the Holy Land but to its enduring mission: to protect the vulnerable, to serve the suffering, and to remain rooted in faith—even when surrounded by death.
August 28, 2025, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
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If the mainstream media don’t care (in theory the Vatican can get more media coverage of this if it wanted), then why doesn’t someone like Tucker Carlson highlight this, to see how the Evangelicals react?
Good question.
If not Leo, then why not Bartholomew? Oh wait! I know: it’s because his cushy job in the Fanar is a “martyric one.”
That and the fact that the Turks pull his strings.
Tucker Carlson has already interview Agapia Stephanopoulos a Greek Orthodox nun in Jerusalem that condemns the restrictions Israel has imposed upon the Christians living in Holy Land.
The Israeli Defense minister was right when he predicted that “the gates of hell will open”! My question is, how so many Israelis will fit in there? Maybe the so called “promised land” was meant to be underground…