Judith Sudilovsky

Holding placards calling for "justice," "trust" and "peace," religious leaders led hundreds of peace activists, Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze in a march in Jerusalem May 18, days after thousands of Israeli ultra-nationalists chanting racists slogan clashed with Palestinian residents in the Old City during the annual Jerusalem Day's Flag Parade.

"We hope with all our hearts that the war will end," said Sr. Camille Fermina Herraiz Martinez, 80. "We have to continue to live and to give war its own meaning. Life does not stop because of the war."

Church leaders in Jerusalem expressed sorrow over the news of the passage by the Israeli Knesset of a death penalty law — by hanging — for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks on Israelis, noting that Easter, which celebrates life, represents the opposite.

People have a deep desire to return to their lives despite the dire and complex situation in Gaza following two years of war, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said at an annual Christmas press conference on Dec. 22.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem welcomed "with joy" the announcement of an initial agreement between Hamas and Israel in an Oct. 9 statement, but also stressed the "absolute urgency" for the "immediate" and "unconditional" entry of humanitarian relief and sufficient aid into Gaza.

"Many questions remain unanswered, and much still needs to be defined. We must not delude ourselves, but we are pleased that something new and positive is on the horizon," Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said in an Oct. 5 statement.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, France, said his visit to the Holy Land was intended as a gesture of solidarity with the local Christian community and a demonstration of support for "all the friends of peace."

An Israel Defense Forces investigation concluded that the strike on the Holy Family Parish compound on July 17 was the result of an accidental mortar round that veered off course during "operational activity" by IDF troops in the area of Gaza City, the IDF said in a July 23 statement.

The importance of continuity and diversity as well as the issues of war and peace were a main topic of conversation for the 133 cardinals as they gathered to vote in the conclave May 7-8, said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.

For the second year in a row, few foreign pilgrims were in attendance at the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into the Old City of Jerusalem due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. But even the gray skies that threatened rain didn't dampen the spirit of the 4,000 participants.

As joy intertwined with trepidation both in Israel and in the Palestinian territories, Francis said that both Israelis and Palestinians need "clear signs of hope," as he trusted that their political leaders with the help of the international community would yet be able to reach "the right solution" for the two states.
 

The Christian community in Gaza has suffered devastating losses, including the deaths of 17 people after an explosion at the St. Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church campus in Gaza City, following an Israeli airstrike, toppled the administration building in October 2023.

In an Aug. 26 statement, they said the cease-fire should be "resulting in the end of the war, the release of all captives, the return of the displaced, the treatment of the sick and wounded, the relief of those who hunger and thirst, and the rebuilding of all public and private civilian structures that have been destroyed."

Church leaders in Jerusalem accused local Israeli authorities of launching a "coordinated attack" against the Christian presence in the Holy Land after several municipalities initiated legal proceedings for alleged municipal tax debts.

The discovery of a Byzantine-period church in the northern Negev, with wall art displaying ships, opens a window to the world of Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land 1,500 years ago, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

In a previously unpublicized visit, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, entered the Gaza Strip May 16, reaching Holy Family Parish for his first pastoral visit since the outbreak of Israel-Hamas war following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

While faith cannot change anything in moments of great darkness such as the one Israelis and Palestinians are currently living through in the Israeli-Hamas war, it can, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said, create "a small light" which will give "orientation."

Following a series of attacks on Christians in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces Dec. 16, including the killing of a mother and daughter at a Catholic church, the Israeli Defense Forces said that it "takes claims regarding harm to sensitive sites with the utmost seriousness." However, the statement did not make any mention of the shooting deaths of the two women in the Holy Family Parish premises.

A late-night hostage-exchange agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas Nov. 21, and church leaders hope it will lead to end to the war.