Israel

An organization researching the history of Pius XII's relationship with the Jews says that a series of documents recently uncovered show a pattern of direct actions by Archbishop Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope) that culminated in the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

"May the Names of These Victims Never Perish." Here is the text of the address Benedict XVI gave on May 11, 2009 at the Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

"Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world. This is totally unacceptable." The following is the speech delivered by Pope Benedict XVI at Ben Gurion airport upon his arrival in Israel on May 11, 2009.

"We meet as brothers, brothers who at times in our history have had a tense relationship, but now are firmly committed to building bridges of lasting friendship." Here is the text of the farewell address Benedict XVI gave at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion international airport, before boarding a plane to return to Rome.

"Our Two Communities Are Challenged to Engage People of Good Will at the Level of Reason." Here is the text of Benedict XVI's address during a courtesy visit to the "Hechal Shlomo" center, seat of the Grand Rabbinate, after he visited the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

LORD, that which You have given us, give to all Israel. May all Israel discover the sweet gentleness and sublimity of the Messiah, who is still waiting, and has already been with us for twenty centuries, Yeshua, the Lord. And together with the Messiah, may Israel discover the stunning beauty of the Good News that comes from heaven, the New Covenant capable of bringing to Israel the peace of her God, shalom upon Jerusalem.

On October 28, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu caused a stir when he quoted a controversial passage from the Bible identifying Hamas with Amalek--Israel's archenemy in the Bible--to justify Israel's ongoing war against the terrorist group.

Faced with the "already here" of the Church, Israel is the witness of the "not yet". The Jewish people and the Christian people are thus in a situation of mutual imitation. Christians rejoice in the "already here", while the Jews remember the "not yet".

Tradition identifies the deserted place where John the Baptist grew up as the hermitage of St. John in the Desert, also known as 'Ain el-Habis (spring of the hermit.)  The site is located in the heart of the Judean hills, about 3 km from Ein Karem, St. John’s birthplace, which is itself just 7-8 km west of Jerusalem.

Br. Tilbert Moser proposes a biblical alternative to the Two-State Solution and Vatican recognition of the Palestinian State. This article is currently available in German only.

Cardinal Avery Dulles (1918-2008), of blessed memory, discusses the present status of God's covenant with Israel, a subject which has been extensively discussed in Jewish-Christian dialogues since the Shoah. Catholics look for an approach that fits in the framework of Catholic doctrine, much of which has been summarized by the Second Vatican Council... 

The slopes and trees of Nazareth are here in Judah’s hills, a sight familiar, as is she whom I have come to see. With Child, as I, we share a single joy, in laughter and in tears; in silent wonder.

The New Temple will be erected when Judaism and Catholicism will be united to proclaim the only Word of God and the only one Messiah, to sing the only Glory of God that shines in all works performed in both Judaism and Catholicism, in the great works of mercy and in the great works of judgment for the sins of men. So the Nations will know that the true living God is among His people, living in His Temple, which is the Church of Jesus Christ.

Ulpan programs - the modern Hebrew language schools - are known to be a hub of diversity, predominantly filled with new immigrants, Arab Israelis looking to learn Hebrew and Jewish students spending a semester abroad. But ulpan teachers say that in recent years, they have seen a remarkable influx of priests and priests-in-training being sent to ulpan programs officially by their seminaries.

"The Chosen People, the Jews, teach us through the divine revelation of the living God that humility of heart is what is required to truly and more deeply encounter the living God. They knew the way of Christ before He was born."

The central fact, which has its deepest meaning for the philosophy of history and for human destiny—and which no one seems to take into account—is that the passion of Israel today is taking on more and more distinctly the form of the Cross.

Since there are a number of passages in the Koran stating that God has given the Holy Land to the Sons of Israel, there can be no religious justification for radical Islamic opposition to the Jewish presence in this land.

Flanked by high Golan, Against the Syrian dawn, You mirror Galilean hills, And mingle with the Jordan As it bides with you awhile. Still lapping Caesar’s quay And green Kinneret’s plain, Your waters carry Ephraim again, recalling Simon and his friends.

Nigh pristine still, these ancient stones arrest the sons of Abraham, and bid them weep, for they have lost their calling: the house they held aloft is swept away as once its builder’s nation was, and grief is here enshrined.

The history of relations between Christians and Jews represents a very complex history which alternates between proximity and distance, between fraternity and estrangement, between love and hate. On the one hand, Jesus cannot be understood without Judaism; on the other hand, the schism between synagogue and church forms the first split in the history of the church,