In a combative joint statement, the heads of major Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Orthodox, and other regional churches issued a condemnation of Christian Zionism, calling it one of the “damaging ideologies” currently active in Israel and accusing it of misleading Christians and harming the Church’s unity.
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in the Holy Land, whose communique was released this week, warned that Christian Zionist efforts “have found favor among certain political actors in Israel and beyond” who they claim “seek to push a political agenda which may harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East.”
These church leaders expressed alarm that Christian Zionists “have been welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally,” and declared that only they “represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land.”
The implications of the letter are sweeping. According to the signatories, Christian support for the State of Israel—not merely theological, but political and practical—should be...
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