Latest News – Holy Land News

On Palm Sunday, March 24, 2014 hundreds of priests, bishops, cardinals, and laypeople solemnly carried large palm branches in procession through St. Peter’s Square to begin the first liturgy of Holy Week. “Dear brothers and sisters, since the beginning of Lent until now we have prepared our hearts by penance and charitable works,” Pope Francis said in a soft voice

Despite the war and everything going on around us this year, we have once again chosen to celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into the Holy City. We have joined voices with those who sang in Jerusalem two thousand years ago: "Hosanna Filio David," Hosanna to the Son of David. Yes, especially now, it is even more important and necessary to shout

Gaza’s Catholic priest says the situation in the territory continues to be very serious and is “worsening hour by hour.” Speaking to AgenSIR, the Italian Catholic news agency, Father Gabriel Romanelli said Christians in Gaza “still have faith and hope in the essential – in Jesus Christ.” Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing

A top cardinal and leading papal diplomat has said that amid the ongoing war in Gaza, peace in the Holy Land requires a change of mentality in which both sides recognize and respect each other’s right to exist, regardless of whether there is one state or two. “I don’t know if two states are better than one, integrated,” said Italian

“There is no holy war, peace is only holy” The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan extends its well-wishes marking the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, pleading with the Almighty God to protect the extended Jordanian family under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah I Ibn Al-Hussein and Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince

On the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Egypt, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel E. Abs attended the opening Prayer of this week, headed by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, during which he delivered a speech entitled

As Syria marks the 13th anniversary of the beginning of its civil war on March 15, one Catholic agency says people “should not forget that Syria is the world’s worst displacement crisis.” In March 2011, popular discontent with the government of Bashar al-Assad led to large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, echoing the Arab Spring protests taking place in

Although government spokesmen initially tried to deny the soldiers’ involvement in this incident, later that day Israel’s Minister of National Security not only praised IDF fighters for acting “excellently.” but also attempted to blame the victims for their own demise, charging that they had sought to harm heavily armed soldiers. He went on to assail the delivery of humanitarian aid

While members of all faiths are leaving, the exodus threatens to disproportionately impact the country’s Christian community now estimated to number only about 175,000 families. Stark warnings have come from respected Church figures that urgent action is desperately needed to prevent the wipe-out of the Christian community in Syria. Father Basilios Gergeos, a priest ministering in Damascus, told Catholic charity

Save the Children warns of the "complete psychological destruction" Gaza children are suffering due to five months of war. The humanitarian organization appeals once again for a ceasefire and for emergency aid to be able to reach the people immediately. With news of aid shipments finally arriving in Gaza on its shorelines, and from the skies through occasional air drops,