The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced on September 14 that it would forgive the school debts of all families in the diocese for the school years preceding the Jubilee of Hope. It was a difficult decision to make “because of the costs involved,” acknowledged Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa in his letter, but also a “necessary” gesture.
Recalling that the Jubilee of Hope is above all a path of conversion offered to Catholics, Cardinal Pizzaballa explains that it would nevertheless be “too little to limit the meaning of the Jubilee to a special conversion of heart, to an exclusively spiritual and interior journey.”
The Jubilee must therefore also “be an opportunity to promote and demand justice, equity, and, above all, solidarity.” After considering a concrete gesture that would implement this objective in its diocese, the Patriarchate decided to cancel the debts of families to its schools, except for the 2024-2025 school year.
The cancellation of debts, the cardinal recalls, is a gesture that has its roots in antiquity and is found “in the New Testament.” “Indeed, the return to God, the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of our relationship with God can never be separated from the restoration of human relationships.”
While this decision should provide relief to families in difficulty, it also implies “that everyone commits to changing their lives and taking responsibility for their obligations,” notes the cardinal. “The forgiveness of these debts therefore does not release anyone from their responsibilities, not even families, in their obligations to schools.”
Poverty and isolation
In the Holy Land, many Christian families are suffering from the war in Gaza and its economic fallout. In Bethlehem and even Jerusalem, many are leaving or expressing a desire to leave their homes in search of a better future, as their sources of income dwindle.
Many are employed in the tourism sector, which has suffered a severe downturn since the war began, with the suspension of pilgrimages and other trips to the Holy Land. Tour operators, hoteliers, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, and artisans who make religious objects have found themselves without income.
“Tourism is the main source of income for Palestinians, but the Israeli attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon after October 7 have had a terrible impact on the economy and workers in the tourism industry,” Hani al-Hayek, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Palestinian State, explained to Vatican News in October 2024. He estimated a loss of more than $2.5 million per day in revenue, including $1.4 million for the city of Bethlehem alone.
In this toxic environment, more and more families are being “encouraged to leave Palestine,” an exodus that “would mean a further reduction in the Christian population in the region.”
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