Reviewing the history of interaction between Israel and the Holy See, it can be stated that the process began in the middle of the 20th century. The Vatican initially thought carefully and even questioningly in relation to the 1948 establishment of the State of Israel. Besides the political implications at large, the Church was concerned with the existence and security of Christian populations in the region.
The history of the Vatican and Israel has been characterized by the lack of recognition of Israel on many occasions, which was largely caused by the dispute over the status of Jerusalem and whether Christian holy places are in good condition or not. It was not until after the Oslo Accords that the Holy See recognized the State of Israel in 1993. Rather than an act of religious prohibition, this understanding amounted to the convenient acceptance of a political fact. The Vatican has since maintained diplomatic relations with Israel while advocating for Jerusalem to have a special international status to protect the rights of all faiths, especially the Christian minority.
Theological perspectives and Catholic doctrine
The Catholic Church makes a doctrinal clarity as to the distinction between the biblical Israel and the modern-day state of Israel. According to Catholic dogma, the Jews do not have a God-given right to rule the Holy Land: the Church is considered to be the spiritual descendants of God’s people – the new Israel. This view is based on key teachings of the Catholic Church, including the Second Vatican Council’s teaching that the new People of God are not bound by ethnic or territorial claims. Hence, the acquisition of the Land of Israel by the Catholics is not God mandated and does not form any part of the fulfillment of biblical prophesies. Even as it celebrates Judaism and acknowledges the historic connection of the Jewish people to the contemporary state, it does not explicitly tie the connections to a religious claim to the existence of the state.
Political and social stance
The Vatican has also supported its consistently supported a two-state solution that ensures freedom, dignity, and security of the Israeli and Palestinian people. The Vatican diplomats, including Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, repeated that position in 2025, at the UN that inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, self-determination, and statehood on internationally recognized borders should be respected, in a statement. Since the initiation of hostilities in Gaza and the surrounding area at the end of 2023, the Catholic Church has criticized the terrorist acts, including the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Vatican has also called on Israel to exercise restraint in undertaking military reprisals, since actions that overreact lead to casualties of people, particularly the elderly and children, who are weak in society. Pope Francis, who has been quoted as one of the few Catholic leaders who have had moral clarity on the situation, called for investigations to be made, interested committees on war crimes and humanitarian abuses, and described the situation in Gaza as having the features of genocide.
In the course of the conflict, the Church has demonstrated a very particular interest in its own Christian population. In one example, in July 2025, Israeli tank fire destroyed the Gaza Holy Family Catholic Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, killing three people, among them the parish priest, and injuring others. The current Pope Leo opined that he is pained by the attack and that he needs an immediate cessation of peace and security in places of worship. Although leadership was not supposed to go to the affected church, the head of the Catholic and Orthodox churches came to the church in order to express sympathies to the area, and this portrays the role of the Church in serving as mediator as well as facilitating religious freedom in the region.
Diplomatic engagement and calls for dialogue
The Catholic Church is represented by low-key but active diplomatic relations with Israeli and Palestinian officials to propagate the concept of peace talks. Both Pope Francis and Pope Leo have been vocal on the side of humanitarian access, peacemaking, and ceasefire. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, highlighted the positive aspects of the readiness of the Israeli leadership to communicate directly with the Pope, which testifies to the unique status of the influence of the Church.
The Catholic world is of different thoughts regarding Israel and Palestine. As an example, Catholic organizations in the United States and bishops often stand in support of Israel’s right to security and condemn anti-Semitism. Catholic organizations in Palestine and other Middle Eastern nations, on the other hand, take the side of Palestinians and speak even more categorically against the Israeli policy. Despite some of the conflicts, this shows how the Church tries to achieve a compromise between hard theological, political, and humanitarian matters without taking any purely partisan stance.
Recent developments and positions
The State of Palestine, as well as the State of Israel, is now recognised by the Catholic Church. The fact that its vision is that of a peaceful world where both peoples are safe and secure means that it wholly pursues a two-state solution, premised on the 1967 boundaries, including East Jerusalem. The Holy See has tried to do so through its previous recognition of Palestine in 2015, and its subsequent efforts at peace brokering between the Israeli and Palestinian authorities, basing its approach on international law as the foundation of the achievement of peace.
In the view of the Church, it is not a State which was established by God, and the current planet Israel should not be taken as such. Catholic theology indicates that the Church is the new Israel and a spiritual community, not an ethnic- or geographical community, although the ancient Jewish people are described as being tied to the land.
This balanced position allows for the debate of political reality and coexistence without rejecting theological Zionism as the foundation for Israeli statehood.
Tensions about Israel and Palestine have existed within the international Catholic community since 2024 and into 2025. There is a noticeable divide in the way the war and historical narratives are presented within Church circles, as evidenced by the criticism of some US Catholic bishops by organizations like Kairos Palestine, which is ecumenical but led by Catholics, for seeming to take a strong stance in favor of pro-Israel views.
Israel attacked the Holy Family Catholic Church, Gaza’s sole Catholic church, in July 2025. The church doubled as a refuge to hundreds of people in cases of the prolonged conflict that was waged by Hamas in 2023. They killed three people and injured many, including the parish priest, in the attack.
Conclusion
The Catholic Church must reconcile various political realities, humanitarian needs, and the dogma of doctrine. It has remained one of the most active lobbying voices on the protection of religious freedom, peaceful talks, and the protection of marginalized groups, especially the local Christian community. The demands of the Church that a Status Quo be observed on the holy sites illustrate its commitment to the maintenance of Christian worship and Christian heritage in Jerusalem and the environs, which in many cases is allied with more widespread Israeli-Palestinian issues.
