The human desire for life, dignity, and justice cannot be erased — and ignoring it risks further bloodshed.
That was the sober warning offered this week by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, as he addressed the unfolding crisis in Iran alongside the continuing catastrophe in Gaza.
Speaking to Vatican News during a visit to Jordan on Tuesday, January 13, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran reflect something deeper than political unrest.
“We see how the desire of life, dignity, and justice is inside the heart of any human being,” he said, stressing that no authority can “deny or neglect” this longing, which belongs to the identity of every person and community.
Since late December, demonstrations in Iran have been met with lethal force, leaving hundreds dead.
Cardinal Pizzaballa expressed hope that the situation would not deteriorate further, warning against an outcome marked by “more violence and bloodshed.” His remarks were notably restrained, avoiding ideological judgments while focusing squarely on the human cost of repression.
Regional context
The patriarch placed Iran’s turmoil within a wider regional context marked by suffering.
Turning to Gaza, he described conditions there as one of “total devastation.” Although a ceasefire declared in October halted large-scale bombardment, targeted strikes continue, and winter conditions have proven deadly. After a visit to Gaza in December, the cardinal said people were dying not only from cold but from a lack of basic medicines, including antibiotics.
He also pointed to growing hardship in the West Bank, where restrictions on movement and settler violence increasingly affect daily life and undermine the most basic stability of local communities.
While in Jordan — part of a multi-day gathering with priests and bishops of the Latin Patriarchate — Cardinal Pizzaballa highlighted the kingdom’s quieter stability and its continued medical assistance to wounded Palestinians from Gaza.
Jordan, he noted, bears the emotional and economic weight of the conflict even without being directly at war.
Despite the instability across the region, the cardinal reiterated his encouragement for pilgrims to return to the Holy Land, insisting that pilgrimages remain “absolutely safe” — and vital for sustaining Christian presence and hope amid crisis.
