See also: Catholic Voices for Israel: Invitation
Join Catholic Voices for Israel
I. Purpose
The existence and policies of the State of Israel have long been subject to intense scrutiny and debate in the public sphere worldwide — all the more so in recent years. Various campaigns have sought to delegitimize the State of Israel, and a number of them have invoked Catholic teaching to do so.
This includes the question of Zionism, a term often used imprecisely or polemically. In its most basic sense, Zionism refers to the Jewish people's biblical and historic attachment to the land of Israel and their right to national self-determination in their ancestral homeland. Yet the term is frequently mischaracterized or ideologically charged, with some Catholics claiming that the Church "rejects Zionism," despite the absence of any such official Catholic teaching. Such misinterpretations and unwarranted generalizations have bred widespread confusion among Catholics regarding the Jewish people, the land of Israel, and the modern State.
Catholic Voices for Israel (CVFI) is a private, collective, and independent effort dedicated to fostering an approach to these questions that takes Israel in its fullness into account — the Jewish people, their covenantal identity, their historic connection to the land, and the modern State — from a Catholic perspective.
CVFI seeks to counter distorted portrayals of Israel by promoting a more accurate, charitable, and theologically grounded understanding of Israel's place in Catholic thought and public life. It also seeks to explore an authentic Catholic approach to the question of Zionism. Such an approach does not assert that the modern State of Israel constitutes a theocracy or a "faith‑state." Nor does it imply support for rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple or for any eschatological program. It does not justify injustice, violence, or the dispossession of any people. Nor is it rooted in Protestant dispensationalism or dual‑covenant theology.
This approach recognizes the dignity, rights, and legitimate concerns of Palestinian and other non-Jewish communities in Israel — and especially of the local Christians, our brothers and sisters in Christ — whose challenging situation forms part of the broader moral and political context in which these questions must be considered.
While several comparable initiatives exist in the Protestant world, no such effort has yet arisen within the Catholic Church.
II. Scope and Limits
The initiative is focused on the sphere of public reflection and debate. It does not pursue charitable or business activities, nor does it claim to represent a political or theological consensus among its participants.
Each participant remains entirely free to evaluate and, where necessary, criticize the policies of the State of Israel. CVFI's concern is not to promote any particular political program, but to ensure that Catholic engagement with Israel is informed, responsible, and faithful to the Church's teaching.
III. Guiding Principles
The initiative is animated by insights drawn from recent papal and ecclesial statements, including:
- that the covenant between God and the Jewish people "has never been revoked," for "the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable." (Rom 11:29; Nostra Aetate 4; CCC 121; 839)
- that the Jewish people retain a historic and theological bond with the land promised to Abraham's descendants. Indeed, Israel preserved "the memory of the land of their forefathers at the hearts of their hope," and "Christians are invited to understand this religious attachment which finds its roots in Biblical tradition…"[1]
- that the re‑establishment of a Jewish homeland in the modern State of Israel bears significance in light of God's enduring fidelity to His people, a point expressed by Pope Benedict XVI when he noted that "in the creation of the State of Israel the fidelity of God to Israel is revealed in a mysterious way."[2]
- that Catholic theology should "include the recognition of the unique and unbroken covenantal relationship between God and the Jewish People and the total rejection of anti-Semitism in all its forms, including anti-Zionism as a more recent manifestation of anti-Semitism."[3]
These principles do not predetermine any political conclusions, but they provide a framework for Catholic reflection on Israel that is rooted in the Church's own teaching.
IV. Participation
We invite all Catholics — especially scholars, clergy, journalists, public officials, cultural leaders, and others — to join this initiative.
Participation is entirely voluntary and does not involve any fee or institutional affiliation. Clergy of all ranks are welcome to participate in a private capacity that does not involve the parishes, dioceses, or other Church entities entrusted to them.
V. Forms of Action
The initiative intends to undertake actions such as:
- publishing responses to anti‑Jewish and anti‑Israel arguments advanced in public discourse, either in the name of individual participants or, when appropriate, in the name of the initiative as a whole;
- producing media content that helps Catholics better understand the realities of the region, the situation of Christians in Israeli society, and the ongoing development of Jewish–Catholic relations;
- encouraging deeper theological reflection on the significance of Israel — people, land, and state — within Catholic thought;
- arranging conferences, dialogues, and public events that foster and deepen mutual understanding between the Catholic Church and the State of Israel.
These actions will develop organically as the initiative grows and as participants contribute according to their expertise and availability.
Join Catholic Voices for Israel
[1] Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, Notes on the Correct Way to Present the Jews and Judaism in Preaching and Catechesis in the Roman Catholic Church, VI.1. ↩
[2] Reply to Rabbi Arie Folger, August 23, 2018. ↩
[3] International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee, 18th Meeting, Buenos Aires, July 5-8, 2004. ↩
