Post by Fr David Neuhaus SJ | 6 February 2026
Michel Sabbah – The People’s Patriarch
Michel Sabbah, Emeritus Latin (Roman Catholic) Patriarch of Jerusalem, has been an inspiring figure for all Palestinians, Christians and Muslims alike. I had the great privilege of being ordained by him in 2000 and then working under his leadership and with his spiritual accompaniment. He contributed the preface to the book “Conquest or Leaven”. He served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (the head of the Roman Catholic diocese that includes Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Cyprus) from 1987 to 2008.
In a tribute to him produced six years ago, Muslim film director Muhammad Alatar, sheds light on some moments in his life, bringing to the screen his reflections and constant prayer for his people and all who live in Palestine/Israel. In this documentary, Sabbah reflects on the two options the Palestinians are faced with, “Either to swallow the poison forced upon us and accept to survive without a state. Or to hold on to our resistance and maintain our determination that we are a people deserving of statehood and persist in becoming the masters of our destiny.”
Among those interviewed in this film is Rev. Frank Chikane, former secretary general of the South African Council of Churches, who was deeply engaged in the struggle against apartheid. Chicane comments that he is “convinced that [the Palestinians] are dealing with the same demons we dealt with in South Africa.” The difference between Israel and South Africa, he asserts, was greater international support for Israel. “It’s almost like the whole world is against the Palestinians, nobody cares.”
This moving documentary is no less relevant today than it was when it was originally produced in 2020.