YSJReligion

A photo of an Israeli soldier smashing the head of a Jesus Christ statue during operations in southern Lebanon.

"I don't think the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way some people are doing it." Pope Leo responds to President Trump, who said the Pope is "weak on crime and terrible for Foreign Policy". Pope Leo said he will continue to "promote peace" and that "someone has to stand up and say, 'there's a better way to do this'".

On Palm Sunday, as we commemorate the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem, we remember that the Christians of Palestine, the most ancient Christian community in the world, continue to be persecuted, harassed, killed, bombed, imprisoned and denied prayers at their holy sites by Israel for over 77 years:

Prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this morning, His Beatitude His Beatitude Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, commemorated Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion on the Mount of Olives facing Jerusalem.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land report they were blocked from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by Israeli police on Palm Sunday, calling it "a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure." vaticannews.va/en/church/news…

1940, Jerusalem, Palestine 🇵🇸 Blessed Palm Sunday ☦️✝️🌿

Investigative podcast The Missing Sister uncovers dark truths about IUIC @CharlieBCuff @WonderyMedia podcastingtoday.co.uk/investigative-…

Important statement from the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem: “Christian Zionism” is a damaging ideology that sows confusion, wounds Church unity, and serves political agendas that threaten Christians in the Holy Land.

While Netanyahu claims that Israel is “the best place for Christians” — the Christian schools in Jerusalem are all striking because Netenyahu’s occupying military is not providing permits to the teachers in these school

It was an honour to have a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. I briefed him on the immense suffering endured by Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as on the political & financial challenges confronting @UNRWA. I stressed that the attacks on UNRWA are an assault on the multilateral system & a defiance of international law with reverberations far beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I also stressed that bringing back to a learning environment the more than 600,000 girls & boys currently living in the rubble of Gaza should be our common priority to avoid a lost generation. I sought the Holy Father’s support to preserve UNRWA’s critical services, primarily in the area of education, public health & safety nets for Palestine Refugees in #Gaza & across the region until a just & fair political solution is in place.

Today is the Orthodox Christmas, an official holiday in Palestine. While families were meeting each other, Israeli Occupation Forces closed movement restrictions, including the Container checkpoint. This is the only access from and to Bethlehem from Ramallah.

The Archbishop of York has revealed he was 'intimidated' by Israeli militias during visit his to the Holy Land this year. Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell said he was stopped at checkpoints, and militias told him he could not visit Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank.

Christmas in Bethlehem: Christians in Palestine under Israeli occupation aje.io/al1olr

Christmas is not a Western story – it is a Palestinian one. "This Christmas, our invitation to the global church — and to Western Christians in particular — is to remember where the story began. To remember that Bethlehem is not a myth but a place where people still live. If the Christian world is to honour the meaning of Christmas, it must turn its gaze to Bethlehem — not the imagined one, but the real one, a town whose people today still cry out for justice, dignity and peace." To read my full article: aje.io/mnp9x2 via @AJEnglish

Palestinian Christian families light up a Christmas tree in Gaza, praying for peace and for the safety of survivors of the ongoing #genocide. From the birthplace of Christianity: humanity shines even in the darkest times. From #Gaza, #Bethlehem, and #Jerusalem— Merry Palestinian Christmas to the British people and to all.

Archbishop of York describes Israeli action against Palestinians in Gaza as ‘genocidal acts’ churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2025/…

Today Palestinians lit the Bethlehem Christmas tree. From the land of Christianity, Palestine and from the town of Jesus, Bethlehem, we wish peace upon the world 🇵🇸

The israelis issue a new order to seize the inner courtyard of Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, altering the historical and legal status of the site english.palinfo.com/news/2025/11/2…

Palestinian Christians issue 'Kairos II,' a cry of hope in a time of darkness religionnews.com/2025/11/21/pal…