WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Chaldean community in Metro Detroit joined with others from southeast Michigan as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrated Mass at St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church in West Bloomfield.
Cardinal Pizzaballa joined Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Chaldean Bishop Francis Y. Kalabat and others Dec. 4, the first day of a four-day pastoral visit to Detroit, offering a somber, yet hopeful message, encouraging prayers and solidarity with suffering communities in the Holy Land.
In his homily, Cardinal Pizzaballa drew parallels between the biblical prophet Isaiah's vision of rebuilding amidst destruction and the current devastation and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, emphasizing the Church's role in encouraging and promoting peace and stability.
"Hope cannot stand alone. Hope needs faith," the patriarch said. "I've been to Gaza several times during the war, and everything is a long desert full of ruins. Everything is destroyed, not only the infrastructure. Human devastation is enormous everywhere. Without faith, everything seems hopeless, without a future. But in the faith, we have a different view."
Afterward, hundreds gathered for dinner at Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield to support Christians in the Middle East, uniting the local Church in prayer, generosity, and solidarity.
The community came together to honor Cardinal Pizzaballa and show support for the Church of Jerusalem, reaching out to those who continue their faith in the land where Christ was born, suffered, and rose again. Cardinal Pizzaballa reminded those gathered that when people stand together, the suffering Church is never alone.
“Sooner or later, this situation will finish, and when it is finished, we will remember who was with us and who was not. And I am sure we want to be among those who were there with them — with the Palestinians, but also with Israelis, with everyone, with love, but also with the necessary truth," Cardinal Pizzaballa said at the conclusion of his remarks. "Because where the truth is, there, Jesus is present.”
This story will be updated.
