Christians in the Holy Land face a serious threat to their continued presence, warned Bernard Poggi, rector of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s seminary in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem. Speaking at a Day of Prayer for Christians in the Middle East organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Germany in Augsburg on 13 September, Poggi noted that despite strong hope and vibrant communities, escalating hardships are forcing families to leave. Violence, intimidation, joblessness, movement restrictions, and severe financial distress combine to deprive Christians of the opportunity to remain in their homeland.
Poggi emphasized that departure is rarely voluntary, but rather the cumulative result of severe daily pressures:
“Nobody has to explicitly order Christians to leave the country. When a family eventually concludes that the only way to secure a safe future for their children is to leave, then emigration is no longer a truly free decision”.
Settler violence and unemployment impacting Christians in the Holy Land
The rector highlighted growing concern over attacks by Jewish settlers against Christian communities, pointing to Taybeh, the last entirely Christian village in the West Bank. When fields, vehicles, homes, or churches are targeted, the physical space where Christians can live becomes increasingly restricted.
Hostility also occurs in Jerusalem. Poggi shared an experience where young seminarians from the Palestinian Territories visiting Holy Sites for the first time were spat on by children due to their visible crosses. Rather than dwelling on hostility, Poggi led the seminarians to the Western Wall to demonstrate how prayer unites different faiths.
Economically, the 7 October terrorist attacks and the war in Gaza caused a total collapse of the pilgrimage and tourism industry in the Bethlehem region. Tour guides, shopkeepers, craftsmen, hotel staff, and university graduates have been left without work, while road checkpoints and permit revocations sever vital economic and family links between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Dramatic situation in Gaza and appeal to ACN
In the Gaza Strip, the Christian presence has declined precipitously. Before the outbreak of the war, the Christian community numbered around 1,000 people; by the end of 2025, only 541 remained. Poggi stressed:
“In a community of this size, every family counts”.
Despite the destruction, the Catholic parish of the Holy Family and the Greek Orthodox parish of St Porphyrius continue to serve as sanctuaries offering relief to all people regardless of faith.
Poggi appealed to ACN benefactors to focus on long-term institutional support—including schools, clinics, housing, salaries, and local job creation projects—to preserve the Christian presence:
“A job enables a family to stay. Please do not help us only to survive the next crisis. Help the Church so that the next generation can remain in the Holy Land”.
