Israel

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Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See Raphael Schutz meets with Pope Francis on Feb. 2, 2024.

In letter to ‘Jewish brothers and sisters’ Pope Francis laments ‘terrible increase’ in attacks against Jews

Feb 3, 2024

By Ken Oliver-Méndez, ACI Stampa

Pope Francis lamented the “terrible increase in attacks against Jews around the world” that has taken place since the outbreak... Read more

Pope Francis appears in the window of the Apostolic Palace to give his Sunday Angelus address on Jan. 14, 2024.

Pope Francis: ‘War itself is a crime against humanity’

Jan 14, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Speaking at the end of his Angelus address, the pope urged people to pray for all who are suffering due... Read more

Moral theology professor Joseph Capizzi speaks with Tracy Sabol on “EWTN News Nightly” Dec. 22, 2023.

CUA theology dean: Just war doctrine requires Israel to avoid civilian casualties

Dec 28, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

Joseph Capizzi, a professor of moral theology and ethics at the Catholic University of America, said the Israeli military “cannot... Read more

Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See Raphael Schutz. רפי שוץ, CC BY-SA 3.0

Israeli ambassador accuses Latin patriarch of Jerusalem of ‘blood libel’

Dec 22, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

In an interview with Crux published Dec. 22, the ambassador, Raphael Schutz, denied that IDF soldiers targeted the women. Read more

Roman Catholic Church of Holy Family in Gaza City.

Nahida and Samar: Mother and daughter killed in attack on Gaza parish

Dec 18, 2023

By Eduardo Berdejo

Vatican News reported Dec. 16 that Samar Anton was killed while she was trying to help her mother, Nahida Anton,... Read more

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks at the USCCB fall plenary assembly Nov. 14, 2023.

U.S. bishops renew call for peace after Christian women reportedly killed in Gaza Church

Dec 18, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

The U.S. bishops over the weekend renewed their call for peace in the Holy Land amid reports on Saturday that... Read more

Pope Francis waves to pilgrims during his Angelus address on Dec. 17, 2023.

Pope Francis condemns reported Israeli sniper attack on Gaza Catholic church

Dec 17, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem reported that two women were shot by the IDF on Dec. 16. Read more

Smoke billows over the northern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment from southern Israel on December 14, 2023 amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Two women killed amid Israeli attack at Holy Family Parish in Gaza, Latin Patriarchate says

Dec 16, 2023

By Daniel Payne

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said two women were targeted by an Israeli sniper on Dec. 16. Read more

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, meets with reporters in Baltimore on Nov. 15, 2022.

USCCB president urges Israel to ‘find a way to negotiate’ to protect civilians

Nov 14, 2023

By Zelda Caldwell

The president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, on Tuesday called on Israel to pursue negotiations in its... Read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.

Latin patriarch of Jerusalem asks for donations in face of suffering, hatred in Holy Land

Nov 7, 2023

By Andrés Henríquez

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa explained that it is “charity and prayer” that have animated the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem “in times... Read more

Workers distribute medical aid and medicines to Nasser Medical Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, which recently arrived through the Rafah crossing on Oct. 29, 2023, in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

U.S. bishops renew call for peace in the Holy Land

Oct 31, 2023

By Tyler Arnold

The U.S. bishops are renewing their call for peace in the Holy Land as the Israel-Hamas war moves towards it... Read more

Iran’s minister of foreign affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

Vatican, Iranian foreign ministers discuss Israel-Hamas war amid risk of wider conflict

Oct 30, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher spoke by phone with his counterpart in Iran on Monday morning regarding the Israel-Hamas... Read more

Workers prepare to distribute medical aid and medicines to Nasser Medical Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, which recently arrived through the Rafah crossing on Oct. 29, 2023, in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

UN refugee director: Needs in Gaza ‘immense,’ aid ‘meager and inconsistent’

Oct 30, 2023

By Daniel Payne

The U.N. said Sunday that “thousands of desperate people” had “stormed U.N.-operated warehouses” and other aid distribution centers in the... Read more

Displaced Palestinians who fled their houses amid Israeli strikes wait at a food distribution point as they shelter in tents set up in a United Nations-run center following Israel's call for more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to move south, in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 26, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

EU leaders to call for humanitarian corridors in Gaza as war rages

Oct 26, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

Leaders will call for the establishment of “humanitarian corridors and pauses” to transport aid to civilians into the Gaza Strip. Read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Oct. 20, 2023.

Cardinal Pizzaballa: For Christians in Gaza Strip, temptation is to look for future elsewhere

Oct 25, 2023

By CNA Staff

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, speaks about the situation in the Holy Land in a recent interview... Read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, on Oct. 20, 2023.

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem mourns 18 dead in Gaza Christian Church bombing

Oct 23, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

“War and bombs have never solved problems; on the contrary, they always create new ones,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said. Read more

A general view of tents set up for Palestinians seeking refuge along the Gaza Strip on Oct. 20, 2023, in Khan Yunis, Gaza.

Catholic Relief president on aid to Gaza: Let’s ‘get it going,’ ‘take care of these people’

Oct 20, 2023

By Joe Bukuras

The leader said he was hoping for a quick reopening of border access in Gaza and deployment of aid to... Read more

Pope Francis meets with World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder at the Vatican on Oct. 19, 2023.

World Jewish Congress leader asks pope to use ‘moral authority’ to help Israeli hostages

Oct 19, 2023

By Daniel Payne

In his meeting with the pope, Ronald Lauder urged the pontiff “to use your power, to use your strength, to... Read more

Mass at the Church of the Holy Family for the Latins, Gaza.

‘We lack food and medicine’: Catholics in Gaza take refuge in only parish church

Oct 18, 2023

By Suhail Lawand

Holy Family Church is the only Roman Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip and is located in the northern part... Read more

Smoke increases after Israeli airstrikes on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 10, 2023.

What you need to know about the war between Israel and Hamas

Oct 17, 2023

By Diego López Marina

The ongoing tension in the Middle East has flared up again in a war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian... Read more