Commissariat of the Holyland

Listening to the Living Stones: Three Christian Voices in the Midst of Turmoil

A summary of the questions, difficulties and hopes of the Christians of the Holy Land. Listening to the three speakers invited by the organizers of their Fifth International Congress, the Commissaries of the Holy Land were able to hear the Living Stones of this land.

- Marie-Armelle Beaulieu
November 20, 2025

From November 19 to 25, 2025, the Fifth International Congress of Commissioners of the Holy Land met in Jerusalem to discuss the theme: "Ambassadors of Peace: Listening, Supporting, Proclaiming the Holy Land". The afternoon of the first day, November 19, was dedicated to "listening to the living stones" — those local Christians who are so often mentioned but whose voice is not often really heard.

On the podium were three faces from this minority Church which is determined to stand strong:

• Bishop Rafic Nahra, Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem for the part of the diocese located in Israel
• Fr. Amjad Sabbara ofm, friar of the Franciscan Custody, and parish priest of Nazareth who previously served six years as parish priest of Jerusalem
• Elias Habash, leader of the Arab Catholic Scouts of Jerusalem, born and raised on the Via Dolorosa in the Old City.

Italian journalist Alessandra Buzzetti (TV2000) moderated the exchange. A clear picture of the situation emerged from this frank dialogue: a weakened identity, endemic violence, the temptation of leaving, exhaustion in the face of war. But a very clear picture of behaviour also emerged: a refusal to hate, remaining strong in faith, and a trust in the solidarity of others, especially that of pilgrims.

"Minority within the minority": identity under pressure

Bishop Rafic Nahra began by setting the scene with a few figures. He explained that in Israel "there are about 185,000 Christians, of whom 140 to 145,000 are Arab Christians. This represents barely 1.8% of the population, and about 7% of the Arab world in Israel. We are a minority within the minority.”

But it is not so much the number as the identity crisis that worries him. He recounted a meeting with young people where: "A young girl raised her hand and told me: 'For us, the problem is that we don't know who we are. Am I Israeli? Arabic? Palestinian in Israel? Christian in a predominantly Jewish country?’ This is not anecdotal. It's a very difficult problem to live with.”

The Latin Patriarchate’s fragmented geography does not help: the same family can have members in Gaza, Haifa, Jerusalem or Jordan — with a son bearing an Israeli army uniform. "Our communities are everywhere, and that makes everything extremely delicate", the bishop sums up.

Added to this is the war, not only in Gaza but also in the north, against Hezbollah. "In the north, some of our Christians live near Lebanon and are under bombardment. The others feel the war in a more general way: at the beginning, there was total silence. No one dared to speak. A wrong word at work could cost you dearly.”

Mafia-like violence and silent exile

The fracture of society breaks down from day to day: among Arab Christians working with Jewish colleagues who have been traumatized by October 7; in families who have been separated and  forced to remain in the West Bank or Gaza; by Israeli media that only talks about Arabs or Palestinians "when they commit an attack." As a result, Arab Christians are "caught" between two antagonistic narratives.

Archbishop Nahra also points to the explosion of criminal violence in Arab society within in Israel, which is not so visible on the outside, but nonetheless destructive: "Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 230 murdered people in Arab society. Mafia, extortion, threats, burnt property ... And only 10% of the cases dealt with by the courts. People no longer have confidence. Some are even afraid to go to the police, because they know that information can reach mafia families.”

Faced with this, many Christians are fleeing:

• moving to cities deemed safer (for example, the mixed city of Nof HaGalil, which has become "the fourth Christian city in Israel" because of the influx from Nazareth)
• going abroad (Cyprus, Greece, United States...)
• Buying apartments outside the country "in case they have to send the children".

"The emigration of our people is a very serious problem," the bishop insists. What should we say then to those who want to leave? For him, there is only one reason that can keep them here in the long term, the awareness of a mission: "If they are not convinced in their hearts, they will leave. If life is too difficult, they will look for a more peaceful place. Those who remain are those who have understood that they have a mission here.”

In Jerusalem, young people are at the end of their rope

From the Via Dolorosa, where he was born between the 6th and 7th stations, Elias Habash sees up close what the young Christians of the city are experiencing.

"During these two years of war, young people faced a very harsh, very 'competitive' reality," he says. “Jerusalem has become a small, narrow, suffocating city. A lot of pressure, a lot of weapons visible in the streets, controls, especially for the Arabs. Young people no longer know if they have a future here, if they will be able to study, work, get married. They stopped thinking about the future.”

He and his leaders, who are in charge of the Arab Catholic Scouts of Jerusalem, which brings together 250 to 300 children and young people aged 6 to 25, have made a radical decision: "We have tripled our efforts. We had to fill their time, gather them together under our supervision, offer them alternatives: camps, sports, music, meetings ... We spent more time with them than with our own families. But it worked. This period went "smoothly" because we were together.”

We took a strong stance: no mobile phones during activities. "When young people enter the Scout building, they don’t have to rely on their mobile phones. We wised-up to that: we increased our activities so that they aren’t inclined to watch violent videos, propaganda and networks. In the camp, they only had half an hour per day to call their families. It was very difficult, and now, when we look back, we ask ourselves how we managed to do that.”

The spiritual dimension is integral to the heart of this pedagogy: "When you face a problem, you have only one place to go: God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary. We have worked very hard with the parish to bring young people back to the Church. I would say that we were 80% successful.”

Elias is clear about the "meekness" which the two priests mention: "To be meek is not to be weak. It's not about being afraid of the truth. We are strong because of our faith, our culture, our education. We are a minority, but the Church and the community, as long as they remain united, are powerful, even in a minority.”

The Scouts, in their own way, also establish links beyond the walls of separation: exchanges with the troops of Ramallah, Bethlehem or Taybeh, large gatherings with nearly 200 children from Palestine, joint activities with Muslim scouts within the walls of the Old City. "We're open," Elias says, "and that's a source of strength."

"Our mission, not the suitcase": Fr. Amjad's pastoral response

Father Amjad Sabbara presents his perspective starting with very concrete elements: the finances of the families. In Jerusalem, about 35% of parishioners live from tourism: hotels, guiding, services for pilgrims...

"Many were counting on the season from October to December to cover their debts. Then everything stopped. Groups cancelled, bookings fell one by one. And the father of the family finds himself faced with this question: ‘What to do? How do I pay what I owe, how do I secure my children's future?’"

At the same time, the public sphere is becoming tighter and tighter. After October 7, he said, any word critical of Israel could be a cause for investigation, arrest, or trouble of some sort. The illusion of a fully democratic country is becoming exposed. We are silent outside our homes, and we talk in low voices at home.

Then came the news of the suffering of the Christians of Gaza. "The most beautiful thing," says Father Amjad, "is that despite their own difficulties, the Christians of Jerusalem have mobilized to collect money, via the Patriarchate, for Gaza. We understood that our role in this war was to be like the Good Samaritan for those who suffer. Not to become experts in political analysis.”

The choice of Fr. Amjad’s parish is clear – to offer pastoral care, not declarations:

• Offer help to cover students’ increased tuition or university assistance
• Visit families, listen patiently
• Emphasise the Christian mission rather than the Christian "status"

"We changed our entire youth program," he explains. “Before, we worked on the question "How do I live my identity?". Now we say, "My identity is born from my mission." I am here because the Lord has entrusted me with a mission in this country. That's what drives me."

He does not hide the fact that some can no longer take it: seven families from his parish have left the country since the beginning of the war. But the parish keeps in touch, by phone or email. "Because it's not easy to start a new life elsewhere, in another culture."

Gentleness as a refusal to seek revenge and spreading lies

Asked to clarify what he means by "gentleness", Father Amjad returns to the simplest theology: "We insisted a lot on one thing: Jesus did not lie to us. He told us that he would not leave us alone, but also that we should suffer, bear the cross, live in the midst of the tares. Strength comes from the invisible which gives strength to the visible.”

This gentleness is not a passivity. Bishop Nahra summed it up in a clear sentence: "For me, gentleness is not doing nothing. It is to refuse two things: violence and lies. If we enter into the logic of revenge, the Church is dead.”

But the temptation is everywhere:

• Ministers' speeches calling for "getting all Palestinians out of Gaza"
• Fear that the other person will "take my place and chase me away"
• simultaneous rise of Jewish and Muslim fundamentalisms

The answer, for the Franciscan, lies in a real conversion: encountering the living Christ in the liturgy, and not being satisfied merely with "attending"; renewing the regular practice of the sacrament of forgiveness, where we concretely learn to renounce revenge; personally accompany young people in spiritual direction.

"We have taken seriously the words of St. Paul about 'what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.' Each of us carries a part of Christ's passion for this land. Are we convinced of this, yes or no? That's the real question.”

Fragile dialogues, heroic gestures

It's not all doom and gloom. Despite the fear and tensions, Bishop Nahra experienced silent acts of courage, often invisible outside the country:

• rabbis or human rights doctors who cross checkpoints to help Palestinians attacked by settlers, at the risk of being treated as traitors by their own side
• young Israelis who stand between a settler’s tractor and Palestinian peasants harvesting olives
• the Israeli who donated a kidney to an Arab in the middle of the war.

"I wouldn't stand in front of a tractor, myself," admits the bishop. “These are heroic examples. They exist, but they remain a small minority.”

At the ecclesial level, the Patriarchate is also trying to bring together young people who do not experience the conflict in the same way:

• young people from Hebrew-speaking [Christian] communities (often children of migrants or converts) who are highly integrated into Israeli society
• young Arabs from the Galilee, sometimes enlisted in the army, who are more sensitive to the suffering of the Palestinians

Once a year, a common mass is organized. "Some refuse to come," says Bishop Nahra, "because they believe that 'it's not the same world.' But those who come discover that we are one Church. We even take care to balance the languages: the Creed once in Hebrew, once in Arabic... It's a small "status quo", but at least it exists.”

At the same time, universities and organizations form interfaith programs. They affect a small circle, often always the same. But the fear of being photographed with the "other side" to end up the next day on social networks is holding back many people of good will.

Father Amjad, for his part, insists on the long-term educational stakes, in Jerusalem as in Gaza: "My greatest fear is all these orphans in Gaza. What education will they receive? If their only prospect is some form of Islamic education geared towards revenge, then revenge will come sooner or later.”

He also describes the duplicity imposed on some Jerusalem schools, forced to juggle between Palestinian textbooks and Israeli curricula, hiding the one when the inspectors of the other arrive. "In the student's head, it creates an additional division: who are we really?"

For him as for the bishop, it will be necessary to work seriously on the school curriculum, Christian, Muslim and Jewish, once the most acute phase of the crisis is over. Not slogans, but an in-depth reflection on the history taught, the place of the other, the truth of the facts.

"Making the Holy Land breathable": the call to the commissaries

At the end, Alessandra Buzzetti asked the three speakers what they want to say directly to the commissioners of the Holy Land — and, through them, to the churches of the world. The answer is straightforward.

Bishop Nahra has two messages:

• Bring back the pilgrims, slowly but surely.

"We are already seeing Nazareth come back to life a little. When the pilgrims return, the city comes back to life, and with it hope.”

• Speak of this land in a way that unites instead of dividing.

"What scares me is the hatred that is growing in the world, among people who have never met a Palestinian or an Israeli, but who are torn internally over this conflict. Don't take a position too quickly. Inform yourself, think, understand. Here, everyone suffers. I'm not saying that everything is equal, everyone has their responsibilities, but everyone suffers. Look for a language that brings people together, not a black-or-white speech.”

Father Amjad elaborates on the very concrete issue of the pilgrims’ presence:

"For the 35% of parishioners who live from tourism, the pilgrims’ return restores dignity, the possibility of continuing to dream, to put down roots. Not only in Jerusalem, but also in Bethlehem and elsewhere. We have spoken a lot about "pilgrimages of solidarity": it is now that they are needed.”

Elias Habash states it clearly and plainly:

"In Palestine, 70% of the Christian population depends directly or indirectly on pilgrims. We, as scouts, do our best to convince young people not to emigrate. But you, in bringing back the pilgrims, are stronger than us. Help us keep Christians here. We need each other.”

By choosing "Listening to the Living Stones" as its theme, the Congress of Commissioners of the Holy Land did not simply choose a slogan. In Jerusalem, on November 19, the stones spoke clearly: wounded identity, youth under pressure, temptation to flee, pent-up anger. But a tenacious conviction was also voiced: evangelical gentleness is not a weakness, it is an obstinate refusal of violence and lies.

It is up to these "ambassadors of peace" to share these words in their action, not as just another story, but as a mandate: to make known the complexity of the Holy Land, to encourage solidarity pilgrimages, and to support those who have chosen to remain as Christians in the land of Jesus — not out of romanticism, but because they have understood that their mission is at stake here.