The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church – Bulgarian Patriarchate has issued a powerful and deeply compassionate statement regarding the ongoing and devastating blockade of the Gaza Strip. The address calls for an immediate end to the siege and urges the global community not to remain silent in the face of immense human suffering.
“For months now, the world has been witness to the brutal siege of Gaza,” the Synod writes, “a tragedy that has led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Thousands of our brothers and sisters have already lost their lives; tens of thousands have been wounded. Two million people are trapped in dire conditions—cut off from food, clean water, medicine, electricity, and fuel—while bombs continue to rain down on their heads.”
The Church’s leaders describe a harrowing scene of daily loss and injustice: “Every day, innocent and unarmed civilians perish: countless young children, women, the elderly, the sick, and the most vulnerable. The imposed blockade, understood by many as an act of collective punishment, directly violates international law, basic human morality, and—above all—the divine commandment of the Gospel.”
Quoting the Book of Genesis, the statement recalls a haunting biblical image:
“The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10)
“Today, that voice of spilled blood still cries—to heaven and to our conscience,” the Synod affirms.
The Holy Synod calls for an immediate and unconditional end to the blockade and for unrestricted access to humanitarian aid and medical teams. The statement also urges national and international organizations, as well as religious communities, to press for a permanent ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the release of all hostages and unjustly detained persons.
“Let us remember: to turn away from the suffering of the Palestinian people is to be complicit.” “Anyone, then, who knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (James 4:17)
The Synod warns against passivity, stressing that compassion must prevail over violence: “It is time—past time—for the voice of compassion to rise above the roar of weapons, for mercy to replace vengeance, and for justice to overcome injustice.”
“Let us raise our voices for those who can no longer speak. Let us reach out our hands before their pain becomes a new and impassable chasm between peoples.”
“Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.” (Proverbs 21:13)
In closing, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church extends prayerful solidarity to the leaders and faithful of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Land:
“We once again extend our heartfelt and prayerful support to His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, the Holy Synod of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, His Eminence Archbishop Alexios of Tiberias—patriarchal representative in Gaza—the sacred clergy, and the long-suffering faithful of the ‘Mother of Churches,’ the Holy Zion Church.”
“May the All-Merciful God protect and shelter His innocent children, and enlighten all those in positions of power, so that this blockade may be lifted and peace restored to the land.”
