Bruna Frascolla
Christian Zionism is more than being Christian and supporting the idea of a Jewish State in the Holy Land; it is to believe that this ethnic group has this right given by the Old Testament.
On January 17, 2026, a joint statement from the patriarchs and church heads of Jerusalem appeared on Twitter condemning "Christian Zionism" as a pernicious ideology. The most important patriarchs and church heads are, of course, the Latin Patriarch and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, that is, Cardinal Pizzaballa and Theophilus III. Although the majority of Palestinian Christians are Orthodox, it is clear that, on a joint statement, the one who has the greatest global weight is Cardinal Pizzaballa. However, both Latin Patriarchate's Twitter and website did not mention the note; neither did EWTN (a U.S.-based Catholic news agency with affiliates in other languages, such as ACI Prensa). On the other hand, the note was released by important people such as Francesca Albanese, UN rapporteur, and Munther Isaac, the Lutheran pastor of Bethlehem. Last, but not least, the U.S. ambassador to Israel responded to the note, defending "Christian Zionism", and it was also released by Ted Cruz.
Here is the content:
"The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in the Holy Land affirm before the faithful and before the world that the flock of Christ in this land is entrusted to the Apostolic Churches, which have borne their sacred ministry across centuries with steadfast devotion. Recent activities undertaken by local individuals who advance damaging ideologies, such as Christian Zionism, mislead the public, sow confusion, and harm the unity of our flock. These undertakings have found favor among certain political actors in Israel and beyond who seek to push a political agenda which may harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East.
"Holy Scripture teaches us that 'we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another' (Romans 12:5). To claim authority outside the communion of the Church is to wound the unity of the faithful and burden the pastoral mission entrusted to the historic churches in the very land where our Lord lived, taught, suffered, and rose from the dead.
"The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches further note with concern that these individuals have been welcomed at official levels both locally and internationally. Such actions constitute interference in the internal life of the churches and disregard the pastoral responsibility vested in the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.
"The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem reiterate that they alone represent the Churches and their flock in matters pertaining to Christian religious, communal, and pastoral life in the Holy Land.
"May the Lord, who is the Shepherd and Guardian of souls, grant wisdom for the protection of His people and the safeguarding of His witness in this sacred land."
It is signed by "The Patriarchs and Heads of the Church in Jerusalem." There is no joint website to post all the notes, and on the Latin Patriarchate website there are a lot of recent joint notes without nominal signatures. There is a note from 2017 with nominal signatures, and in addition to the obvious ones (Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox), there are a bunch of other ancient Eastern churches (Coptic, Ethiopian, etc.), plus two Protestant (Episcopal and Lutheran). It would be exhausting to see how many of these churches have websites: the important thing is that the Greek Orthodox Church published the note on its website.
What happened between the patriarchs ? It was in the Compact magazine that an explanation appeared. The U.S. vehicle attracts anti-liberal Catholic readers - an expanding audience in the United States, which has an exponent in JD Vance. It is also a very connected public, who certainly saw the note on Twitter and celebrated it. It can be said that the tired neocon formula, which combines liberal-conservatism with Zionism and anti-communism, has not caught on among younger people.
So an IDF reserve captain named Lazar Berman, "Christian affairs correspondent" for the Times of Israel, wrote an article for Compact titled " How the Internet Fell for a Supposed Condemnation of Christian Zionism." Although the title is misleading - because the note is real - the article contains relevant information. First, that the note appeared on the website of the Catholic body Custodia Terrae Sanctae and was removed. Second, that it is enough for a patriarch or boss to make a draft note and set a deadline for it to be published if there are no objections. Lazar Berman suggests that Pizzaballa was traveling and did not see the draft in time and, in fact, on the Latin Patriarchate's Twitter there is a post from the 20th in which it is said that the cardinal has been traveling since the 17th, the date of the note. Third: "The main impetus for the statement, according to sources from two churches, is a fight led by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate against a group of Israeli Christians calling themselves the Israeli Christian Voice and the Eagles of Christ Movement. The movement leader, Ihab Shilyan, was a career officer in the IDF and actively encourages young Christians to enlist as well. He was recently welcomed at Israeli President Isaac Herzog's annual reception for Christian leaders, and has met multiple times with [U.S. Ambassador] Huckabee."
In a quick search, one can find out that Ihab Shilyan is of Armenian ethnicity. The source is none other than the official Twitter account of the IDF, which uses him as a poster boy for Christian soldiers to encourage recruitment. It is well known that, of the non-Jews, only the Druze are excited about the Israeli army. Muslims and Christians become traitors when they enlist in the army that oppresses their families. If the U.S. embassy in Israel is dealing with this citizen, will he start recruiting "Zionist Christians" in the Americas and Africa?
As for the note itself, the question remains open: if it had so much repercussion - to the point of being responded to by the U.S. ambassador -, why did Latin Patriarchate remain silent, instead of denying it ? A simple guess is that Cardinal Pizzaballa does not disagree with the content of the note, even if he perhaps finds it untimely. In general, the Catholic Church is firm in doctrine and soapy in politics. Therefore, every time a Pope states that there is only marriage between a man and a woman, the press "finds out" that the Catholic Church is against gay marriage. Pope Francis called his compatriot parish priest in Gaza every day. Pizzaballa allows himself to be photographed wearing a keffiyeh (that black and white Palestinian scarf). There is no shortage of gestures of sympathy for the Palestinians; the same cannot be said about the Israelis. Still, the Catholic Church does not usually make bombastic statements about the so-called Christian Zionism.
Lazar Berman comments: "Catholic critics of Israel promoted the statement on X, declaring that the top Catholic figure in the Holy Land, Latin patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, had definitively rejected Christian Zionism. Unfortunately for them, he did nothing of the sort." Now, it is obvious to anyone minimally informed about Catholicism that being Catholic implies, in theory, rejecting Christian Zionism as a heresy. If there are "Christian Zionist" Catholics, they have the same profile as Catholics who believe in reincarnation: lay people who are not very committed to religion and who would never reach the position of cardinals.
Not long ago, Pope Leo XIV condemned the practice of surrogacy. Strictly speaking, he would not need to condemn it, because surrogacy uses either in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination, which are already condemned by the Church. Nevertheless, Leo XIV's assertive speeches were very timely. It would be ridiculous to wait for a pronouncement from Leo XIV or Pizzaballa that "definitively rejects" the idea that God gave a piece of land to the Jews for ages and ages; that whoever blesses the State of Israel will be blessed and whoever curses will be cursed; and that the Jews need to "return" to that piece of land and build the Third Temple to hasten the return of Christ. Certainly, it would be very timely for the Pope to condemn the ethnocentric moral relativism of so-called Christian Zionism, as well as its incompatibility with the teachings of Christ.
Now, the simple repercussion on Twitter of the non denied note was enough for the U.S. ambassador to speak out. Let's read what he says:
"In response to the statement of non-evangelical churches in Israel, I issued the following. I hope you will read prayerfully.
"I love my brothers and sisters in Christ from traditional, liturgical churches and respect their views, but I do not feel any sect of the Christian faith should claim exclusivity in speaking for Christians worldwide or assume there is only one viewpoint regarding faith in the Holy Land. Personally I'm part of a global and growing evangelical tradition that believes the authority of Scripture and the faithfulness of God in keeping His covenants. That includes His covenant with Abraham and the Jewish people. My Christian faith is built on the foundation of Judaism and without it, Christianity would not exist. Without the Judeo-Christian worldview, there would be no Western Civilization, and without Western Civilization, there would be no America. The thought that God is even capable of breaking a covenant is anathema to those of us who embrace Holy Scripture as the authority of the church. If God can or would break His covenant with the Jews, then what hope would Christians have that He would keep His covenant with us ? Labels such as 'Christian Zionism' are too often used in a pejorative manner to disparage free-church believers, of which there are millions across the planet. Christians are followers of Christ and a Zionist simply accepts that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient, indigenous, and Biblical homeland. It's hard for me to understand why every one who takes on the moniker 'Christian' would not also be a Zionist. It's not a commitment to a particular government or government policy, but to the Biblical revelation as given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In my faith, there is certainly room for those who 'butter their bread' differently than me, and I would hope that there would be room in the hearts of other church bodies for me. We need to unite in those truths that should be agreed upon, such as the sanctity of life, the sacred act of marriage, the autonomy of the individual, the desire to lift up every human and alleviate human suffering, and the belief that grace is God's gift to us all. Please share with others and 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!'"
This note is self-refuting, as it shows that Christian Zionism is more than being Christian and supporting the idea of a Jewish State in the Holy Land; it is to believe that this ethnic group has this right given by the Old Testament. It is ignoring Paul when he says that there is no longer Jew or Greek. And, without going into theology, it is defending a crazy and anachronistic anthropology, with no basis in science, according to which the Jewish people have remained biologically stable since the time of Christ, without conversions into or out of Judaism. It is also the erroneous belief that rabbinic Judaism and Kabbalah have existed since the time of Abraham.
It remains to be seen whether Huckabee is plotting to send stupid and amoral people to the Holy Land to murder children and steal land in the name of Christianity.