Gaza prepares for a Christmas without peace, but not without hope

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 …

Aid to the Church in Need helps keep the doors of Christian education in the Holy Land open

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 …

Gaza: October 12, first Sunday of Peace After the Ceasefire

The parish priest of Gaza called on his flock to “forgive all those who have failed and to ask forgiveness” for their own shortcomings, as preparation for what he hopes will be an end to this war. (Photo of the banner: a painted wall located more than a thousand kilometers away, in Beyrouth. a little …

Holy Land: Attacks on a Christan village

Church leaders urge Israeli authorities to stop attacks on West Bank Christians. Radical Jewish settlers have been attacking the Christian town of Taybeh with increasing violence, while the Israeli military and police ignore requests for help. The leaders of the main Christian churches in the Holy Land are questioning the complicity of the Israeli authorities …

Churches cry foul as tax war flares up again in Israel

Last February, the heads of Christian Churches in the Holy Land have officially protested against a renewed attempt to force them to pay certain taxes in the State of Israel. The most pressing case at the moment is related to the Armenian Church, but there are many cases involving Catholic institutions. The patriarchs and heads …

Bailasan: a balm for mental health issues in the Holy Land

The Bailasan Counselling Centre is the first Catholic psychosocial and mental health institution aimed exclusively at helping the Christian community in the West Bank. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) funded the renovation work at the centre and recently spoke to those whose job it is to care for a population suffering from a …

Church struggles to help migrants “in a state of limbo”

Holy Land Today, on September 29, World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) takes a closer look at this community which makes up a very significant portion of Christians in the Holy Land, where the Church is at the forefront of advocating for their rights. Christians have lived in …