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The custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, anoints the statue of Jesus on the Stone of Anointing during the ceremony known as the “funeral procession” on Good Friday night 2024. According to the tradition and the Status Quo, on the evening of Good Friday — both Catholic and Orthodox — the rite of preparing Jesus’ body for burial is reenacted on this stone during the so-called “funeral procession.”

Amid ongoing war and blockades, Holy Land Christians insist on celebrating Easter

Apr 19, 2025

By Sanad Sahelia

This year’s Easter celebrations in the Holy Land are expected to unfold under a complex and emotional landscape as war... Read more

Palestinians stand on the rubble and debris of the Latin Patriarchate Holy Family School after it was hit during Israeli military bombardment in Gaza City on July 7, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinian Christians double down on criticizing U.S. Catholic bishops on Israel, Zionism

Apr 16, 2025

By Tyler Arnold

An ecumenical Palestinian Christian organization doubled down on criticism of the USCCB this week, accusing the body of dismissing concerns... Read more

Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.

Bishop Zaidan calls for ‘lasting peace’ in Holy Land following resumed attacks in Gaza

Mar 26, 2025

By Tessa Gervasini

Maronite Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan said the resumed conflict “will have dire implications for any future civil society development in... Read more

Rody Sher, editor-in-chief of ACI MENA, speaks on the second anniversary of ACI MENA in 2024 at the Catholic University in Erbil, Iraq, where the agency is based. This year marks three years since ACI MENA began its mssion to report on the Church and the lives of Christians in the Middle East.

ACI MENA celebrates 3 years of amplifying voices of Christians in the Middle East

Mar 25, 2025

By Georgena Habbaba

A service of EWTN News, ACI MENA was established in 2022 and currently operates from the Catholic University in Erbil,... Read more

Pope Francis waves from a balcony at Gemelli Hospital in Rome on Sunday, March 23, 2025, following weeks of hospitalization for bilateral pneumonia.

Pope Francis makes first public appearance in weeks, returns to Vatican

Mar 23, 2025

By AC Wimmer

The moment marked his first public engagement in weeks. Read more

Group photo in front of the Church of the Sacred Family in Gaza during the visit of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on Dec. 22, 2024.

Christians in Gaza: ‘The ceasefire has made the situation even worse’

Mar 7, 2025

By Madalaine Elhabbal

Here are some of the major stories about the Church around the world that you may have missed over the... Read more

Pope Francis waves to the crowd in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican during his Wednesday general audience on Jan. 22, 2025.

Pope Francis at general audience: Jesus gives us the ‘grace of not fearing’

Jan 22, 2025

By Kristina Millare

“The presence of the Lord always gives us this grace of not fearing,” the Holy Father said at his Jan.... Read more

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, speaks with EWTN News during an interview at the Vatican on Dec. 11, 2024.

Christians in Gaza, Syria ‘need everything,’ Vatican cardinal says

Dec 23, 2024

By CNA Staff

“They need everything and we cannot give anything,” Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti told EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser in a... Read more

Pope Francis delivers his Angelus address via a video livestream from his Casa Santa Marta residence within the Vatican due to a cold on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.

Pope Francis calls for ‘ceasefire on all war fronts’ at Christmas

Dec 22, 2024

By Kristina Millare

“May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!” Pope Francis insisted on Sunday. Read more

A young girl hangs an ornament on the Christmas tree inside the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza.

PHOTOS: Gaza Catholic parish prepares for second Christmas under war

Dec 22, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

As Christmas approaches, the Latin Church of the Holy Family in Gaza is alive with activity as the people at... Read more

When asked what Christians can do outside the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa responded: “Pray and support. Support the Christian community as much as they can.”

Cardinal Pizzaballa: Pope Francis calls Holy Family Church in Gaza every day

Dec 6, 2024

By Kristina Millare

In a press conference on Dec. 6, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said Pope Francis is known by the children... Read more

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

Virtually no aid has reached Gaza for over 40 days, CRS says

Nov 27, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

A nearly two-month blockage of supplies into parts of northern Gaza amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war is hampering the aid... Read more

Pope Francis prays during the Synod on Synodality closing Mass on Oct. 27, 2024, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Pope Francis’ claim that Israel action in Gaza could be ‘genocide’ draws criticism

Nov 18, 2024

By Kate Quiñones

Pope Francis’ call for an investigation into claims that a genocide may be happening in Gaza has garnered some criticism.  Read more

Sabeen Rahil and Elias Johny Al Arja in Bethlehem. In the background behind them is the bell tower of the Church of the Nativity, which stands on the site where Jesus was born.

Staying in Bethlehem: Christian couple opts to marry and put down roots despite hardships

Sep 7, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

Two young Christians from Bethlehem have decided to marry and settle down in their hometown despite the ongoing war and... Read more

Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus prayer on Sept. 1, 2024, the pope called for peace in the Holy Land, urging the release of the remaining hostages and humanitarian aid for the polio outbreak in Gaza. The pope also expressed his closeness to the people of Burkina Faso after hundreds of people were killed in a terrorist attack there on Aug. 24. Afterward the pope asked for prayers for his apostolic journey beginning tomorrow to Oceania and Southeast Asia.

Pope Francis urges release of hostages, aid for polio outbreak in Gaza

Sep 1, 2024

By Courtney Mares

The pope appealed for peace in Gaza and for aid to continue and also expressed his closeness to the people... Read more

Some young people from Gaza during study aid activities in a gazebo inside the compound of the Latin Parish of the Holy Family. Beginning June 10, 2024, about 150 children and teenagers ages 4 to 17 who are sheltering in the Latin parish and in the Orthodox parish have taken up their books and notebooks again to reconnect with their studies. Three gazebos in the garden host study groups. They were open-sided, but they have been closed to help the youth avoid distractions, as there are always people around.

Under patronage of St. Joseph, parish priest restarts schooling for students in Gaza

Jul 20, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

The program had to be suspended for two weeks in July due to Israeli military action in Gaza City but... Read more

Palestinian women react as they look at the badly damaged Latin Patriarchate Holy Family School after it was reportedly hit during Israeli military bombardment in Gaza City on July 7, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas.

Bishop Zaidan condemns ‘any targeting of civilians’ at Holy Family School in Gaza

Jul 10, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

“I join the Latin Patriarchate in condemning any targeting of civilians in the [Holy] Family School in Gaza,” Bishop A.... Read more

Palestinians stand on the rubble and debris of the Latin Patriarchate Holy Family School after it was hit during an alleged Israeli military bombardment in Gaza City on July 7, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas.

Latin Patriarchate condemns reported raid by Israeli forces on Gaza Catholic school

Jul 8, 2024

By Daniel Payne

The patriarchate said in a Sunday press release that it was “monitoring, with grave concern, the news of the raids,... Read more

Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in Rahat (aerial view), May 2024.

Archaeological discovery sheds light on Christian pilgrimages to Holy Land 1,500 years ago

May 23, 2024

By Marinella Bandini

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority have discovered a Byzantine-period church in the northern Negev desert with wall art displaying... 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

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Apr 26
Our Lady of Good Counsel
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