Pope Leo XIV granted a special audience in St. Peter's Square to participants in the Jubilee of Workers for Justice Photo: Vatican Media

Israeli government approves settlement of more Palestinian territory; bishops of the Holy Land oppose

On August 20, Israel’s Higher Planning Council granted final approval for 3,753 housing units, including more than 3,400 in the long-disputed E1 corridor east of Jerusalem. The decision revives a project frozen for decades under U.S. pressure, yet now pushed forward by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who openly declared that the plan would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”

Dozens of Orthodox rabbis speak out against settler violence and Gaza’s humanitarian crisis

Eighty representatives of the Modern Orthodox movement, led by Rabbi Yosef Blau, have launched an appeal calling for «moral clarity» and «responsibility» based on the values of Jewish tradition. While condemning Hamas, they call for a «response» to the tragedy in Gaza and criticise the «disturbing proposals» of Smotrich and Ben Gvir. For the rabbis, they must “speak out when our government’s actions contradict the Torah’s moral imperatives”. The Latin Patriarchate warns of evacuation orders in neighbourhoods near Gaza Catholic parish.