{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] --> {{One source|date=November 2023}}{{Catholic Church by country}} The '''Catholic Church in Palestine''' is part of the worldwide [[Catholic Church]], under the spiritual leadership of the [[Pope]] in Rome.
There are over 80,000 Catholics in the [[State of Palestine]] (including [[Jerusalem]]) mostly in the agglomeration between [[Ramallah]] and [[Bethlehem]], including the West Bank suburbs of Jerusalem. Adherents are mostly of the [[Latin Church in the Middle East|Latin Church]],{{cn|date=February 2023}} but there are also small communities of the [[Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch|Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and Jerusalem]], belonging to the [[Melkite Catholic Church]], as well as the [[Maronites in Israel and Palestine|Maronite Church]]. All three are in [[full communion]] with the [[Holy See]] as part of the worldwide Catholic Church.
There are two [[archbishop]]s of Jerusalem, one for each [[jurisdiction]]. The jurisdiction of the [[Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem]] in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories includes 17 parishes, two of which are in Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://en.lpj.org/the-diocese/the-parishes/ |title=en.lpj.org |access-date=2014-07-25 |archive-date=2020-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423224532/http://en.lpj.org/the-diocese/the-parishes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The current Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is [[Pierbattista Pizzaballa]].
The Melkite Greek Catholic jurisdiction includes 8 parishes (one in Jerusalem). <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.melkitepat.org/fre/melkite_greek_catholic_church/Jerusalem-Sieges-Patriarcaux|title=Melkite :: Melkites|website=www.melkitepat.org}}</ref> The current Melkite archbishop is [[Yasser Ayyash]].
==History== ===Early Christianity=== The land of Palestine has a long history with Catholicism and Christianity dating back 2,000 years. Jesus lived and preached in [[Judea]] and [[Galilee]], today's [[West Bank]] and Israel. After the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]], Jerusalem became a hub for the first followers of Christianity. Despite that, the prosecution of Christians in the Roman Empire only intensified, until the [[Edict of Milan]], which granted religious freedom. By the time the [[Byzantine Empire]] arose, Palestine had already become a thriving Christian center, with thousands of annual pilgrims and many [[List of churches in Palestine|churches]] and monasteries were built in that time.
===Islamic conquest and the Crusader Period=== After a series of [[Roman–Persian wars|wars]] between the Byzantine Empire and the [[Sasanian Empire]], the region of the Middle East had been left weakened and that presented the perfect opportunity for the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] to strike. In 638 AD, the Muslim armies finally conquered Jerusalem. The Christians were granted [[Dhimmi]] status, which theoretically meant that they would be protected and respected, but wouldn't have the same rights as Muslims.
In 1054, during the schism, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem aligned with [[Constantinople]], choosing [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodoxy]] over Catholicism.
In 1099, the [[crusaders]] of the [[First Crusade]] managed to capture Jerusalem and the [[Holy Lands]] and installed Latin rule. Roman Catholic clergy replaced Orthodox ones, contributing to the restoration of Catholicism in the region. In 1187, [[Saladin]] recaptured Jerusalem, but tolerated the Christians in the Holy Lands.
===Mamluk and Ottoman Rule=== In 1291, Palestine came under [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk]] rule. They restored Islamic authority and eliminated Catholic influence by expelling the Latin population.<ref>{{cite web |last=Asbridge |first=Thomas |title=The Crusades Episode 3 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bqy7r |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203092957/http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01bqy7r/The_Crusades_Victory_and_Defeat |archive-date=3 February 2012 |access-date=1 July 2025 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>
After 1517, the [[Ottoman Empire]] conquered the entirety of the [[Mamluk Sultanate]], which included the land of Palestine within its territory. The Ottomans allowed Christians enjoy more freedom than previous caliphates. Additionally, foreign powers stepped in to become guardians of the Christians in the empire, with the populations of Palestine, Syria and the [[Levant]] set to be protected by France. This gave Palestinian Christians protection privileges and access to missionary schools, which enabled them to engage in commerce with European traders. In addition, Christian merchants had lower rates of duty to pay than their Muslim counterparts, and thus they established themselves as bankers and moneylenders for Muslim landowners, artisans and peasants. This growing middle class produced several newspaper owners and editors and played leading roles in Palestinian political life.<ref>Bernard Regan (30 October 2018). The Balfour Declaration: Empire, the Mandate and Resistance in Palestine. Verso Books. p. 57.</ref>
The [[Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem]] was finally re-established in 1847 by [[Pope Pius IX]], after 660 years since the fall to [[Saladin]]. This re-establishment marked a significant moment in the history of the Latin Church in Jerusalem, restoring the position of the Latin Patriarchate after centuries of Muslim rule.<ref>{{cite web |title= About us |url=https://www.lpj.org/en/about-us/lpj |website=lpj.org |publisher=Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem|access-date=1 July 2025}}</ref>
===Modern Day=== In 1920, the British [[Mandatory Palestine|Mandate of Palestine]] was put in place with a task to apply the [[Balfour Declaration]] and make Palestine the Jews' "homeland". Both the Catholics and [[Palestinian Christians|Christians]] in their entirety, along with the Muslims stood united against the idea of [[Zionism]] in the region and set up [[Muslim-Christian Associations]].
After World War II, with tensions between the Jews and Arabs reaching a breaking point, the United Nations drafted the [[United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine|Palestine partition plan]] to include the separate states of Israel and Palestine.
In the next years, Catholic (and broader Christian) numbers in Palestine declined. The [[Nakba]] left Arab Christians in disarray. At [[Iqrit]] and [[Bir'im]], the IDF ordered Christians to "temporarily" evacuate, an order that was then confirmed as a permanent expulsion. In the Galilee, more lenience was applied to the Christians where expulsion mostly affected Muslims: at [[Tarshiha]], [[Mi'ilya|Mi'elya]], [[Dayr al-Qassi]], and [[Sabalan, Safad|Salaban]], Christians were allowed to remain while Muslims were driven out. In his 1949 encyclical ''[[Redemptoris nostri cruciatus]]'' (published directly after the [[1948 War]]), Pope Pius XII demanded greater protection and care to be directed towards Palestinians and Christian holy sites in Israel/Palestine.<ref>''Redemptoris nostri cruciatus''.</ref>
After [[1948 Palestine war|the war]], the Christian population in the West Bank, under Jordanian control, dropped slightly, largely due to economic problems. This contrasts with the process occurring in Israel where Christians left en masse after 1948. These trends accelerated after the [[Six-Day War|1967 war]] in the aftermath of Israel's takeover of the West Bank and Gaza.<ref>Laura Robson, Colonialism and Christianity in Mandate Palestine, p. 162</ref>
[[Pope Francis]] had consistent contact with [[Holy Family Church, Gaza|the Holy Family Church]] (the only Roman Catholic Church in [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]]) throughout his papacy during [[Gaza war|the ongoing Israeli invasion and occupation of Gaza]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sherlock |first1=Ruth |title=From his hospital bed, Pope Francis stays in touch with Catholic parishioners in Gaza |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/02/18/nx-s1-5300950/pope-francis-gaza-church-palestinians-catholic |website=NPR.org |publisher=National Public Radio |access-date=23 June 2025}}</ref>
==See also== * [[Catholic Church in Israel]] * [[Catholic Church in the Middle East]] * [[Palestinian Christians]] * [[Caritas Jerusalem]] * [[Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem]] * [[List of parishes of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem]] * [[Deir Rafat|Our Lady of Palestine]] * [[Custody of the Holy Land]] * [[Latin Church in the Middle East]] * [[Catholic Near East Welfare Association]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{commons category}} {{Asia in topic|Catholic Church in|groupstyle=background-color:gold|titlestyle=background-color:gold}} {{Asia topic|Christianity in}}
[[Category:Catholic Church in Palestine| ]] [[Category:Society of Palestine]] [[Category:Catholic Church by country|Palestine]] [[Category:Catholic Church in Asia|Palestine]]