Israel-Hamas war

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Danny Miran shows the T-shirt with a photo of his son Omri, one of the Israelis kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023, and who is still being held hostage in Gaza. On the T-shirt, the Hebrew inscription reads: “Bring them home now!”, the motto of the campaign to bring back the hostages. A few days after Oct. 7, Danny Miran, 79, left his home in northern Israel and joined the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Tel Aviv. His life’s purpose has become bringing his son back home.

Father of Israeli hostage who met with pope is on a mission to ‘bring them all home’

Jul 4, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

Danny Miran met Pope Francis at the Vatican in April. In mid-June he shared his testimony with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi... Read more

An Israeli army convoy leaves the Gaza Strip as seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on July 3, 2024 in southern Israel.

Israeli embassy criticizes Holy Land Catholic leaders for statement on ‘just war’

Jul 3, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

In a statement June 30, the Justice and Peace Commission of the Holy Land suggested Israel’s behavior in Gaza goes... Read more

A group of cello students from the Magnificat Institute of Jerusalem performs on May 30, 2024. Today, the Magnificat Institute welcomes over 200 students each year (as young as 5 years old) and relies on the collaboration of 25 teachers. It has a choir (which also serves the liturgies of the Custody of the Holy Land) and several orchestras.

Jerusalem’s Magnificat Institute: ‘Every day we witness a small but significant miracle’ 

Jun 26, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

The Magnificat Institute brings Jews, Christians, and Muslims together to make music — not an easy feat as the longest... Read more

Pope Francis said he prays every day for an end to the war in Israel and Palestine during a prayer service June 7, 2024, in the Vatican Gardens, commemorating 10 years since the symbolic planting of an olive tree in the presence of the presidents of Israel and Palestine in 2014.

Pope Francis recalls 2014 embrace of Palestine and Israel presidents at prayer for peace

Jun 8, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

A prayer service in the Vatican Gardens marked the 10th anniversary of the 2014 “prayer for peace in the Holy... Read more

The entrance of Jaffa Gate (interior), one of the main access points to the Old City of Jerusalem, was almost empty around noon on Friday, May 24. According to data from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, just over 80,000 people entered the country in April 2024, a decrease of 77 percent compared to April 2023. The same decrease was recorded for the first quarter of 2024.

Where are all the pilgrims? The current state of religious tourism in the Holy Land

Jun 4, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

During the month of May in Jerusalem, the major holidays of the three major religions passed with an almost total... Read more

Members of ACLI (Italian Christian Workers' Associations) hold a sign with the word "peace" in Italian, in St. Peter's Square on June 1, 2024.

Pope Francis: Building peace requires ‘taking a risk’

Jun 1, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

Being peacemakers in the style of Jesus Christ, while necessary and valuable, can also be risky, Pope Francis said as... Read more

A refugee camp in Gaza houses those displaced by the war.

Catholic Relief Services unable to provide aid to southern Gaza amid ongoing war

May 30, 2024

By Kate Quiñones

“Most of the aid crosses through Rafah, and the Rafah crossing has been closed since early May because of the... Read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, listens to a question during the May 20, 2024, press briefing with a small group of journalists at the Latin Patriarchate headquarters in Jerusalem about his recent visit to visit the Catholic community in Gaza.

Cardinal Pizzaballa meets with journalists to discuss visit to Catholic parish in Gaza 

May 20, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

After returning from the Catholic parish in northern Gaza, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch, spoke to the press about... Read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa gives the homily at a Mass in which he took possession of his titular church, St. Onuphrius, in Rome on May 1, 2024.

Cardinal Pizzaballa visits Gaza in show of support, solidarity with ‘suffering population’

May 16, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

Pizzaballa “entered Gaza and reached the Parish of the Holy Family for a pastoral visit,” said a press release issued... Read more

Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2011, attends the Trento Economy Festival 2023 at Palazzo Geremia on May 25, 2023, in Trento, Italy.

Israeli embassy blasts Yemeni laureate for ‘genocide’ comments at Vatican event

May 14, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

“The world is silent in front of the genocide and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people in Gaza,” Tawakkol... Read more

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupy an encampment on the campus of UCLA on April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.

House antisemitism bill raises concerns over use of Bible verses, free speech

May 10, 2024

By Tyler Arnold

The legislation would apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as the standard for enforcing federal discrimination laws. Read more

Notre Dame University.

Anti-Israel protesters at University of Notre Dame arrested

May 9, 2024

By Kate Quiñones

Notre Dame joined the ranks of colleges such as the University of California-Los Angeles and Columbia University where student protests... Read more

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

San Antonio archbishop deletes some social media posts about Gaza war

May 9, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

In posts on X, Archbishop Gustavo García-Sillar expressed solidarity with Palestinians while also appearing to conflate the Jewish people with... Read more

St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów is depicted as the patron saint of Poland in a miniature painted by Stanisław Samostrzelnik of Mogiła.

Why did Pope Francis invoke St. Stanislaus for peace in Ukraine and Israel?

May 8, 2024

By Peter Pinedo

The pope prayed that the intercession of St. Stanislaus “obtain ... the gift of peace in Europe and throughout the... Read more

Bishop Bart van Roijen walked the length of the Gaza Strip on April 29 in support of those suffering due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Catholic bishop walks length of Gaza Strip in support of cease-fire

May 6, 2024

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

A Catholic bishop in eastern Canada walked the length of the Gaza Strip on April 29 in support of those... Read more

Professor Mouna Maroun is the first Arab to be elected as the rector of an Israeli university, the University of Haifa. Maroun belongs to the Arab minority in Israel, the Christian minority among Arabs, and the Maronite minority among Christians. She says she is proud of her religious affiliation and wears a golden crucifix around her neck. "My election is an important message that everything is possible in the Israeli academia," she told CNA.

First Arab Christian woman to lead Israel’s University of Haifa

May 4, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

The announcement of Professor Mouna Maroun’s appointment was made amid tensions with Iran and as anti-Israel protests were mounting around... Read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa gives the homily at a Mass in which he took possession of his titular church, St. Onuphrius, in Rome on May 1, 2024.

Cardinal Pizzaballa: Peace in Holy Land built on dialogue, action

May 3, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

“Peace needs the testimony of clear and strong gestures on the part of all believers, but it also needs to... Read more

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa gives the homily at a Mass in which he took possession of his titular church, St. Onuphrius, in Rome on May 1, 2024.

Latin patriarch of Jerusalem takes possession of Rome titular church after delays due to war

The ceremony at St. Onuphrius, the titular church of the papal order of the Holy Sepulchre, was scheduled for April... Read more

Lara Al-Sayegh, a Catholic from Gaza, collapsed and died of heatstroke as she and her mother tried to leave Gaza and find safe haven in Egypt on April 24, 2024. The 19-year-old lived in northern Gaza and the family had already lost their father and husband after he died at Gaza’s Latin Holy Family Church due to a lack of adequate medical care.

19-year-old Catholic woman dies attempting to flee Gaza with her mother

Apr 30, 2024

By Sanad Sahelia

The tragic death of Lara Al-Sayegh highlights the suffering of Gaza’s dwindling Christian minority. Read more

Palestinians carry empty pots during a demonstration held by the displaced Palestinians gathered in a protest carrying empty pots and pans asking for more relief aid and fuel to reach Gaza strip in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

World Central Kitchen resumes relief efforts, dedicates operation to slain Catholic worker 

Apr 29, 2024

By Peter Pinedo

“We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible,” said... Read more