Vatican official to visit Holy Land to bring closeness of Pope Leo XIV

Amid the ongoing armed conflict in the Holy Land, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, will make a pastoral visit to the region on behalf of Pope Leo XIV.

The Italian cardinal will visit Israel and Palestine from Nov. 16–21. According to a press release from his dicastery, Gugerotti will visit the Catholic communities in these regions to bring them “the expression of the Holy Fatherʼs closeness” as they continue to navigate ongoing casualties from the war and a diminished Christian population.

According to the press release, Israel’s overall Christian communities remain low in terms of population, with approximately 185,000 citizens, equal to 1.9% of the country’s population. Catholics, most of whom belong to the Greek Melkite Church, comprise a majority of these citizens.

The ongoing war in Gaza has also influenced Christian emigration from these lands, particularly from Palestine. In the West Bank, according to the release, Catholics number 35,000 out of 3.5 million people, and there are only 500 Christians in the entire Gaza Strip.

During Gugerotti’s visit, he will meet with the Israeli and Palestinian Catholic communities and…