Episode Details

Can Christians bring peace to the Holy Land?

Jerusalem is known as the City of Peace, yet the Holy Land remains deeply divided by war, political conflict, religious tensions, and generations of suffering. Caught in the middle is a small but resilient Christian community struggling to preserve its presence in the very land where Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from the dead.

In this special episode of Catholic in America, recorded in the Holy Land, Jason Adkins sits down with His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, for a conversation about the future of Christianity in the region and the Church's unique calling to be an instrument of reconciliation.

Cardinal Pizzaballa explains the challenges facing Christians in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus, why maintaining a living Christian presence in the Holy Land matters, and how the Church continues to serve communities across religious and ethnic divisions.

Drawing from his pastoral letter, They Returned to Jerusalem with Great Joy, the Cardinal reflects on a powerful vision of the Church as a living image of the heavenly Jerusalem, a community whose doors remain open and whose witness is rooted in faith, fraternity, forgiveness, and peace.

Jason and Cardinal Pizzaballa also discuss the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians, the danger of reducing complex conflicts to political sides, the importance of condemning antisemitism, and why reconciliation requires both compassion and a commitment to truth and justice.

The Cardinal also shares lessons from St. Francis of Assisi, reflects on his willingness to offer himself in exchange for hostages, and encourages Catholics around the world to support the Christians of the Holy Land through prayer, solidarity, and pilgrimage.

In a land marked by division, can the Church offer the world a different way forward?

Show links

Pastoral Letter: “They Returned to Jerusalem with Great Joy” | Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
https://www.lpj.org/en/news/letter-to-the-diocese

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa | Official Biography
https://www.lpj.org/en/latin-patriarch-of-jerusalem/biography-of-patriarch-pierbattista-pizzaballa

Aid to the Church in Need | Christians in the Holy Land
https://en.acn-global.org/christians-in-the-holy-land/

Jason Adkins, host of Catholic in America, engages our own time, culture, and political milieu with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to explore how to live more fully Catholic. With so much to explore, we have guests from a variety of perspectives and faith backgrounds, and conversations do not necessarily constitute endorsements. 

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