Benedictine abbot warns of Holy Land becoming ‘Christian Disneyland’

(OSV News) — In the Holy Land, the Christian population that has borne the brunt of war and economic hardship is slowly diminishing, warned Benedictine Father Nikodemus Schnabel.

Father Schnabel, abbot of Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion in the heart of Jerusalem and of Tabgha, the community’s priory on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, told national directors and representatives of Aid to the Church in Need his fear is that “Holy Land could become a kind of ‘Christian Disneyland'” where holy places, monks and priests remain while there “may be no Christian families, no young Christians, no ordinary Christian life.”

“If you think this is an Eldorado of Christianity, the reality is different. All Christians together are less than 2%,” he said. “For us, dreaming of reaching 5% or 6% would already be a lot. If you think of the most secularized regions in Europe — like the Czech Republic or the former East Germany — even there, Christians are many times more numerous than here,” he told ACN April 24.

In his address, the Benedictine abbot noted that while there are 13 historic Churches, both Catholic and non-Catholic, the diversity presents a paradox, in that the places “where the most important events of our faith occurred risk losing its indigenous population.”

Palestinian Christians in the Latin-rite Church, he noted, face significant hurdles. Those in Jerusalem have full citizenship but without political rights, while in the West Bank, Christian residents face movement restrictions. In Gaza, the small community of Catholics is “particularly vulnerable, living under a ‘double occupation’: the external pressure of war and blockade, and the internal oppression of the Hamas regime.”

He also said that the number of Hebrew-speaking Christians, while small, is growing. However, the largest group of Latin-rite Christians is comprised of migrants who hail from Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

“They are, in many ways, the most vulnerable,” he said, adding that many live in “a form of modern slavery” and often have their passports confiscated, and “have very limited freedom.” At times, women who become pregnant or choose not to have an abortion — are penalized.

“In the eyes of the system, the most ‘criminal’ act can be to say yes to life,” Father Schnabel said.

As the continued conflicts caused a sharp decline in tourism, many Christians who depend on it have no choice but to flee the country in search of employment.

“People leave because they don’t see a future,” the abbott said, adding that even with a concrete future on the horizon, “they often have the feeling that it doesn’t matter whether they are there or not.”

“Pray that there is a future for Christians here,” the abbot told ACN representatives.

Father Schnabel also denounced increasing hostility against Christians from extremist Jewish groups. According to a 2023 report by the U.S. State Department, Christian clergy and pilgrims face increasing harassment, including incidents of spitting and verbal assault by ultra-Orthodox extremists.

The abbot said the attacks, which have also included vandalism, arson, desecrations and hate graffiti, “can no longer be considered marginal,” and noted that ultranationalist figures in the Israeli government have legitimized or encouraged anti-Christian actions.

He also echoed concerns expressed in January by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of the Holy Land regarding the harm caused by Christian Zionism — a theological and political movement, primarily within Protestant evangelicalism — that asserts the return of the Jewish people to the Holy Land and the establishment of the state of Israel as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.

Christian Zionism is “incompatible with the Gospel when it is used to justify violence, ignore the suffering of Palestinians, or remain silent about attacks against Christian communities,” he said, according to ACN.

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