Christians in the Holy Land are facing a steady decline as war, economic hardship, and migration pressures drive families to leave, Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel has warned.
Speaking to representatives of Aid to the Church in Need, Schnabel raised concerns about the future of Christianity in its birthplace. He described the Christian presence in the region as a “tiny” minority marked by instability and a continuing exodus.
“If you think this is an Eldorado of Christianity, the reality is different,” he said. “All Christians together are less than 2%. For us, dreaming of reaching 5% or 6% would already be a lot.”
He said the global image of Jerusalem as a vibrant center of Christianity contrasts sharply with conditions on the ground.
“The paradox is clear,” he said. “The place where the most important events of our faith occurred risks losing its indigenous Christians.”
Economic collapse drives departures
Schnabel pointed to the collapse of tourism as a key factor pushing Christian families to leave, noting that many depend on pilgrimages for their livelihood.
“About 60% of Arabic-speaking Christians depend on tourism,” he said. “And the last good year was 2019.”
Since then, the pandemic followed by ongoing conflict has sharply reduced pilgrim arrivals, leaving many without income.
“This is the biggest challenge,” he said. “People leave because they don’t see a future.”
He said housing and job creation are critical to helping Christians remain in the region, warning that without these, communities will continue to shrink.
Migrants sustain shrinking Church
Within the already small Christian population, Schnabel described a complex reality that includes long-established Palestinian Christians, Hebrew-speaking Catholics, and a large population of migrant workers.
The latter, estimated at more than 100,000 Catholics, form the largest group and come from countries including the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka.
“They are, in many ways, the most vulnerable,” he said, describing conditions he referred to as “a form of modern slavery”.
Their presence, he suggested, now sustains much of the Church’s daily life even as local Christian communities continue to shrink.
According to the abbot, many migrant workers face confiscation of passports, restrictions on changing employers, and prolonged separation from their families. Some women who choose to continue pregnancies risk losing legal status.
“In the eyes of the system, the most ‘criminal’ act can be to say yes to life,” he said.
War and marginalization deepen crisis
The situation is further compounded by conflict across the region. Schnabel highlighted the vulnerability of Christians in Gaza, describing them as living under a “double occupation”: the external pressure of war and blockade, and internal oppression under Hamas rule.
He also noted a growing sense among Christians that they are marginalized in broader political narratives.
“They often have the feeling that it doesn’t matter whether they are there or not,” he said.
Despite the pressures, the local Church maintains a position across divides.
“We are neither pro-Israel nor pro-Palestine, but pro-human,” Schnabel said, explaining that the Church serves communities in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, and among migrants.
Rising hostility and existential warning
Schnabel also warned of increasing hostility toward Christians, citing incidents linked to extremist groups, including harassment, vandalism, and desecration. At the same time, he said such actions do not reflect all Israeli Jews, noting that some groups actively defend Christian communities.
He raised a deeper concern about the long-term future of Christianity in the region.
“My fear is that the Holy Land could become a kind of ‘Christian Disneyland’,” he said. “The holy places will remain, with monks and priests. But there may be no Christian families, no young Christians, no ordinary Christian life.”
“Pray that there is a future for Christians here,” he added.
“There is no Annunciation without Nazareth, no Christmas without Bethlehem, no Easter without Jerusalem.”
