Post by Fr David Neuhaus SJ | 1 May 2026
They returned to Jerusalem with great joy
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has published his first pastoral letter. It is a profound reflection on the reality in which the Catholic Church lives in the Holy Land, serving four countries, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, and Cyprus, and myriad diverse realities there. It both analyses the reality and describes the vocation of the Church in the Holy Land, deriving from this the pastoral implications for the work of the Church.
The letter can be found here: https://lpj.org/en/news/letter-to-the-diocese
Pizzaballa, an Italian Franciscan, has lived in Jerusalem since 1990. He has served in various positions of responsibility: he was elected head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in 2004 and served until 2016. In 2005, he was named Patriarchal Vicar for the Hebrew-speaking community in Israel. In 2016, he was appointed as the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Catholic diocese of the Holy Land (known as the Latin Patriarchate), and was appointed Patriarch in 2020. Pope Francis made Pizzaballa a cardinal in 2023.
His pastoral letter is composed of three sections: firstly, a reading of present reality; secondly, a reflection on the vocation of the Church in the Holy Land; and thirdly, pastoral implications deriving from these reflections. The letter is an important exhortation to both local Christians in the Holy Land, and to the universal Church.
A short video covers the letter here:
Within the context of this blog, of particular interest is the Cardinal’s analysis of the present reality in the Holy Land. He does not mince his words. I have selected the following quotes from the letter:
– “It is difficult to limit myself to the habitual statements regarding current events, which often follow one another, almost identical in tone and content. I feel it is urgent to say something truer and perhaps more meaningful. Our shared suffering in these times, in fact, does not allow us to limit ourselves to sugar-coated, abstract words – words that lack credibility. Nor can we limit ourselves to yet another analysis of the situation or a condemnation of some injustice. (…) These statements must be accompanied by a reflection on what the Lord is asking of us at this moment. Furthermore, we must ask ourselves how we might express our faith in this difficult context, both in words and in actions. This question has accompanied my ministry as pastor: how can we, as Christians, as an ecclesial assembly, navigate our way in this situation of conflict – political, military, spiritual – a conflict we fear will continue for years to come? This conflict is an integral part of the life of our Church, as it is of our daily existence. Unfortunately, likewise, it has become part of the culture of this Land. Therefore, the conflict is not something to be overcome, but rather the very place in which our Church is called to carry out its specific mission as a community of believers in Christ. In this Land where the contours of identity are so fiercely defended, our Christian existence must become a witness to a particular style of living, even amidst conflict, and must find visible and recognizable expression in what we say and do. We are called to propose an understanding of these times from a Christian perspective that clearly and recognizably characterizes us as Christians.”
– “What we are experiencing is not merely a local conflict. The local conflict is the symptom of a much deeper crisis, a global paradigm shift. For decades, the international community, and particularly the Western world, believed in an international order based on rules, treaties, and multilateralism. Not without a hint of hypocrisy, it declared that international law, the Geneva Conventions, and UN resolutions, though imperfect, were necessary instruments to regulate coexistence among peoples, protecting the weakest from the law of the strongest. Today, everyone seems to have woken up to the weakness in this system, evidenced by the inability to manage these conflicts. In Israel and Palestine, for different and opposing reasons, trust in this system has long evaporated.”
– “We are witnessing a renewed reliance on the use of force as a decisive means for resolving disputes, increasingly reduced almost exclusively to its violent and military forms, at the expense of all other avenues grounded in law, dialogue, and responsibility toward civilians. War has become the object of an idolatrous cult: we no longer sit down at table to avoid conflict, but rather consider war a possible, or even inevitable, outcome. Civilians are no longer simply considered collateral damage, rather this damage is blamed on the enemy’s failure to surrender, or they are seen as instruments used to achieve the goals of war. War serves as an end in itself. Some world powers, who once presented themselves as guarantors of international order, today reveal a different face: they choose sides, not on the basis of justice, but on their own strategic and economic interests. Many institutions – civil, political, religious – thus end up remaining silent and powerless spectators in the face of this new global disorder.”
– “It must be recognized, however, that the experience of being a victim can mean different things, depending on the circumstances. Some lose their lives while staying within the walls of their homes, and others die while fighting on the front. Some see their homes destroyed during a bombing, and others witness the progressive loss of their land year after year. Some live under siege, deprived of essential goods such as food and medicine, while others face the constant fear of terrorist attacks. Pain is always pain, and it is not our intention to rank suffering. While respecting diverse circumstances and acknowledging their complexity, we cannot consider them all identical. There is a difference between those who exercise power and those who suffer under it, between those who govern and those who are governed, between those who possess weapons and those who are threatened by them, between those who occupy and those who are occupied. Responsibilities are different. Recognizing this difference is an act of respect for justice and truth.”
– “(T)he concept of “common good” has lost its meaning. We struggle to answer fundamental questions such as: what kind of society do we seek to establish? What is the good we want to pursue together, beyond partisan interests? In this land, everyone seems to have sacrificed the common good on the altar of partisan interests, albeit in different ways. It seems that everyone thinks only of themselves, of their own survival, of their own security, in a perpetual existential war, on increasingly distant fronts. However, reality imposes the strongest language. This reality, far beyond what we might think, feel, or believe, reminds us that we are destined to find ways to coexist. There is no alternative. This land – as contested as it is beloved – is the home of all: Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs; Christians, Jews, Muslims, Druze, Samaritans, Bahais, and those of other faiths. It is God who placed us here. We Christians, in particular, have a precise mandate: to be salt and light wherever we are. And this means not giving up on creating opportunities for interaction among different national and religious communities, because, when words are no longer enough, that is when concrete actions are needed.”
– “In light of all this, we must truly question another important aspect of our mission. It is true that during this time, we have been present throughout the Diocese with gestures of closeness and solidarity. Our Church has made its voice heard, attempting to speak a word of truth – honest, clear, with parrhesia (boldness) – even amidst this chaos, often at the cost of misunderstanding. But, I wonder, has this been enough? Or, in this most challenging period, have we at times chosen prudence and sought institutional survival, sacrificing our prophetic witness? How can we speak a word of truth without creating new barriers and new victims? It is a question that haunts me every day, and one that is never easy to answer. We must ask ourselves this question sincerely, first and foremost before the Lord, knowing that discernment means listening to God’s voice, converting to the truth, seeking justice, and choosing the good of our brothers and sisters.”
I strongly recommend reading this letter in its entirety.