“We dream of reaching even 5%, but we are far from that”. In an address to representatives of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel offered a stark and personal account of the fragile and rapidly shrinking Christian presence in the Holy Land. The image of Jerusalem as a vibrant heart …
Continue reading “Holy Land increasingly emptied of Christians”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses concern over Palm Sunday restrictions in Jerusalem, Syria, and Gaza, and conveys its support for Christians in the Holy Land. The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) expresses deep concern over events that took place during Palm Sunday celebrations on March 29, 2026 …
Continue reading “Middle East: Holy Week begins under the sign of the cross”
Holy Week has begun against a backdrop of persistent war and shortages in the Catholic compound in Gaza. Despite everything, the community intends to celebrate Easter to the full, sustained by a prayer for peace throughout the Middle East, as Father Gabriel Romanelli explained to the Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). …
On March 10, 2026, the Israeli Ministry of Education announced that no work permits will be issued for the 2026-2027 academic year to Palestinian teachers residing in the occupied West Bank who hold a “green card” – an administrative document allowing certain Palestinians to work or travel within Israeli-controlled areas. Consequently, over 200 Christian teachers …
Continue reading “Jerusalem: Christian schools under threat”
“We have never faced anything like this,” says a Christian. With yet another blow to regional stability, many Christians in the Holy Land believe it is time to leave. Yet the Church’s mission remains unchanged: to bring hope and dignity to people in their daily lives. The director of the Development Office of the Latin …
The last entirely Christian village in the West Bank, Taybeh, east of Ramallah, has been enduring a wave of attacks and intimidation by Israeli settlers. Hostile acts include setting fire to agricultural lands, cars, and the walls of an ancient church, hateful and threatening graffiti, livestock released into the village, not to mention the numerous …
Continue reading “Taybeh: Do Not Let Palestinian Christians Become a Memory of the Past”
The Cry of Gaza’s Parish Priest Although the media attention has died down since the ceasefire, the Gaza Strip continues to sink into an unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Gaza’s Catholic priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, described the “very serious” conditions marked by the daily suffering of …
Continue reading ““It is absolutely essential that the war stops””
As Christmas approaches, the priest of the only Catholic parish in Gaza, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, tells Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that his community is attempting to keep the “flame of hope” alive, and thanks benefactors for the material and spiritual support they provide to the Holy Land. “Our situation is better than …
Continue reading “Gaza prepares for a Christmas without peace, but not without hope”
The Catholic parish in Gaza prepares for Advent during an unstable ceasefire. From the heart of the devastated city, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli of the Holy Family parish describes a disastrous sanitary situation and a day-to-day existence marked by a scarcity of means for rebuilding. The parish priest calls on the international community to pray for …
Continue reading “Amid a fragile respite, an urgent plea from Gaza before Christmas”
With unemployment disproportionately affecting the Christian community, and as a gesture during the Jubilee of Hope, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ) made the decision to cancel student debt in all its schools. Even though Christians are the smallest of the three major faith groups present in the Holy Land, after Jews and Muslims, the …
