Israeli police prevent a Mass from being celebrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and bar Cardinal Pizzaballa from entering

Mar 29, 2026 19:23

ZENIT Staff

Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem Photo: Getty Images

Holy Land•Pope Leo XIV•Vatican Diplomacy

A Phone Call in Times of War: Pope Leo XIV Answers a Call from the President of Palestine

According to the Holy See Press Office, the exchange was explicitly diplomatic. The Pope reiterated the Holy See’s long-standing position: peace must be pursued through political negotiation and diplomacy, anchored in full respect for international law

Mar 17, 2026 17:28

ZENIT Staff

Analysis Opinion•Holy Land•Justice and Peace

The Middle East on the Brink of Collapse: Another Call for Peace from the Pope, the Death of a Member of the Order of Malta in Lebanon, and Bombings at Shepherds’ Fields in Bethlehem

The death of a young humanitarian worker linked to the Sovereign Order of Malta, as well as the killing of a Maronite priest, has further shaken the local Church. The latter case has sparked international condemnation from a network of over 2,200 priests across 59 countries, who have called for accountability under international law and denounced what they describe as serious violations of humanitarian norms

Mar 17, 2026 10:26

Jorge Enrique Mújica

Holy Land•Justice and Peace•Persecuted Christians•Religious Freedom

The last historic Christian village in the Holy Land, threatened with annexation by the Jewish state of Israel

The risk is not only that Christians will leave, but that one day they will be remembered as having once been there

Mar 16, 2026 10:31

ZENIT Staff

Holy Land•Persecuted Christians•Testimonies

This was the funeral of the Lebanese Catholic priest who died in Israeli army bombings

On March 10, the Maronite Catholic community buried Father Pierre El Raii, the parish priest of St. George Church in Qlayaa, who died a day earlier after being wounded during an Israeli artillery strike while attempting to assist injured parishioners

Mar 12, 2026 21:09

ZENIT Staff

Holy Land•Justice and Peace•Persecuted Christians•Vatican Diplomacy

Lebanon requests diplomatic mediation from the Vatican to prevent Israel from attacking or displacing Catholic communities in the south of the country

The Vatican response was cautious but attentive. Gallagher reportedly assured the Lebanese minister that the Holy See is maintaining diplomatic contacts aimed at halting the escalation and preventing further displacement of civilians

Mar 11, 2026 17:46

ZENIT Staff

Here’s how Pope Leo XIV’s surprise video call to Lebanese priests in a war zone went

The encounter lasted only a few minutes, yet those present described it as deeply moving. For clergy ministering among bombed streets, damaged homes, and communities exhausted by months of violence, the brief conversation carried a significance far greater than its duration.

Trump attacks the Pope again, and Leo XIV responds once more: “If anyone wishes to criticize me, let them do so with the truth”

The controversy erupted anew during a televised phone interview in which Trump, speaking to conservative host Hugh Hewitt, suggested that the Pope’s priorities were misplaced and even dangerous

Israeli police prevent a Mass from being celebrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and bar Cardinal Pizzaballa from entering

Holy Land: Cardinal Pizzaballa Says Palm Sunday Mass Ban in Jerusalem Was a Misunderstanding

Church authorities in the Holy Land denounce the seizure and encroachment on Christian properties by Jewish settlers

Jerusalem: Holy Week Behind Closed Doors. A Statement from the Catholic Patriarch

Is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed? The Catholic Church in the Holy Land issues a statement in response to rumors on social media

A Church Against the Logic of War: Vatican Voices, Middle East Realities, and the Risk of a Vanishing Christianity

Fr Sliman: As war affects daily life in Kuwait, the Church responds to the uncertainty

A Phone Call in Times of War: Pope Leo XIV Answers a Call from the President of Palestine

The Middle East on the Brink of Collapse: Another Call for Peace from the Pope, the Death of a Member of the Order of Malta in Lebanon, and Bombings at Shepherds’ Fields in Bethlehem

The last historic Christian village in the Holy Land, threatened with annexation by the Jewish state of Israel

This was the funeral of the Lebanese Catholic priest who died in Israeli army bombings

Lebanon requests diplomatic mediation from the Vatican to prevent Israel from attacking or displacing Catholic communities in the south of the country