Vatican News portal (May 9, 2026) reports on an interview with Ihab Hassan, a Palestinian Christian human rights activist, regarding ongoing Israeli settler violence against Palestinian Christians in the West Bank, particularly in Taybeh, and introduces a new initiative called “Save West Bank Christians.” The article details attacks, lack of accountability, and a plea for international solidarity. Yet, beneath the veneer of humanitarian concern, the article reveals a profound spiritual and moral bankruptcy, failing to articulate the unchanging Catholic principles of justice, the true nature of the Church’s mission, and the ultimate supernatural end of man.
The Primacy of Justice and the Duty of Nations
The article, through Ihab Hassan’s testimony, describes a harrowing reality: “settlers setting fire to vehicles, smashing windows, and occupying a quarry,” “16 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank since the start of the year,” including a “14 year-old boy shot dead in an attack on a school.” This is a clear violation of natural law and divine justice. The Catechism of the Council of Trent unequivocally states that the purpose of civil authority is to “secure the common good” and to “protect the innocent from the violence of the wicked.” When a government, or those acting with its tacit approval, fails to uphold this fundamental duty, it acts contrary to God’s law.
Pius XI, in his encyclical Quas Primas, proclaimed that Christ’s reign extends “not only to Catholic nations or to those who, by receiving baptism according to law, belong to the Church, even though their erroneous opinions have led them astray or discord has separated them from love, but His reign encompasses also all non-Christians, so that most truly the entire human race is subject to the authority of Jesus Christ.” He further emphasized that “the state is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men.” To achieve this happiness, rulers must “refuse public veneration and obedience to the reigning Christ… fulfill this duty themselves and with their people, if they wish to maintain their authority inviolate and contribute to the increase of their homeland’s happiness.” The Israeli government’s approval of “record 34 new settlements… all of which are illegal under international law,” and their use as “launch bases” for attacks, is a direct affront to Christ’s Kingship and a grave injustice demanding condemnation, not mere observation.
The Church’s Prophetic Voice: Condemnation, Not “Solidarity”
The “plea for solidarity” articulated by Hassan, and echoed by Vatican News, is a lamentable reduction of the Church’s prophetic mission. “We’re not asking for any political stance,” Hassan claims. “All we are asking for is solidarity, for Christians around the world to put pressure on those responsible to stop these attacks.” This statement, while understandable from a human perspective, exposes a profound theological deficiency. The Church is not merely a humanitarian organization seeking “solidarity” in a secular sense. She is the pillar and ground of truth (1 Timothy 3:15), commissioned by Christ to teach, govern, and lead all to eternal happiness.
Pius IX, in the Syllabus of Errors, condemned the notion that “the Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and modern civilization” (Proposition 80). The conciliar sect, by its very nature, has embraced this condemned proposition, reducing its voice to vague calls for “dialogue” and “solidarity” in the face of blatant injustice. The true Church, guided by the Holy Ghost, would unequivocally condemn such acts of violence and oppression, demanding justice based on divine law, not merely “pressure” from human institutions. The silence on the inherent injustice, the lack of a clear call for the application of God’s law to civil authorities, and the absence of any mention of the ultimate spiritual implications for the perpetrators, is a damning indictment of the modernist mentality that has infiltrated the conciliar structures.
The “Existential Threat” and the Forgetting of Martyrdom
The “Save West Bank Christians” initiative aims to highlight the “existential” threat posed by illegal Israeli settlements to the Holy Land’s ancient Christian communities. Hassan recounts a family’s despair: “if they die, nobody will notice.” While the temporal suffering is undeniable, the article’s framing of this as an “existential threat” without a corresponding emphasis on the supernatural value of suffering and martyrdom is a grave omission.
The Church has always taught that earthly life is a pilgrimage, and that persecution for justice’s sake can lead to the crown of martyrdom. St. Augustine famously stated, “The Church progresses through persecution; she is perfected through persecution.” The early Christians faced far greater existential threats, yet their faith was strengthened, not weakened. The modernist focus on preserving earthly existence at all costs, often through political maneuvering and secular “solidarity,” betrays a loss of faith in the supernatural end of man and the power of grace. The article’s failure to frame the suffering of these Christians within the context of their eternal destiny, or to remind them of the immense spiritual treasures gained through suffering for Christ, is a profound silence that speaks volumes about the conciliar sect’s naturalistic and humanistic drift.
The Illusion of “No Political Stance” and the Duty of the Faithful
Hassan’s assertion, “We’re not asking for any political stance,” is a dangerous illusion. Every act of injustice, every violation of God’s law by civil authorities, demands a moral and spiritual response from the faithful. The Church’s mission is not “political” in the secular sense, but it is inherently concerned with the moral order that underpins all human society. To remain silent or to merely call for “solidarity” without demanding justice according to God’s law is to abdicate the Church’s prophetic role.
The Syllabus of Errors explicitly condemned the idea that “the Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church” (Proposition 55). The conciliar sect’s embrace of religious liberty and its retreat from the public square have led to this very separation, rendering its voice impotent in the face of grave injustices. The faithful are not called to be mere spectators or to offer “solidarity” in a vacuum. They are called to be salt of the earth and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14), demanding that all nations and individuals conform their actions to the immutable laws of God. The article’s failure to articulate this duty, and its implicit endorsement of a “non-political” stance in the face of blatant injustice, is a clear symptom of the conciliar sect’s capitulation to secularism.
The Absence of True Peace and the Call to Repentance
The article concludes with a plea for “solidarity” to “stop these attacks.” However, true peace, as taught by the Church, is not merely the absence of conflict, but the “tranquility of order” (St. Augustine), which is only possible when God’s laws are observed. Pius XI, in Quas Primas, stated, “Peace is only possible in the kingdom of Christ.” He lamented that “when God and Jesus Christ – as we lamented – were removed from laws and states and when authority was derived not from God but but from men, the foundations of that authority were destroyed.”
The violence in the West Bank, like all violence rooted in injustice, is a consequence of a world that has rejected Christ’s Kingship. The conciliar sect, by its internal apostasy and its failure to proclaim the fullness of Christ’s social reign, bears a significant responsibility for this state of affairs. The article’s silence on the need for repentance, both for the perpetrators of violence and for the nations that fail to uphold justice, and its omission of the ultimate solution – the universal acknowledgment of Christ the King – is a testament to its spiritual blindness. The “solidarity” it seeks is a pale imitation of the true charity that demands justice and conversion, leading souls to the only source of lasting peace.
Source:
Ihab Hassan: ‘No accountability’ over attacks on Palestinian Christians (vaticannews.va)
Date: 09.05.2026