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On October 7, 2023, militant pro-Palestinian groups carried out a series of attacks on Jewish Israelis, during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. In response, Israel launched a large-scale military operation in Gaza which has escalated into a humanitarian disaster that some are terming a genocide.
For those who have not followed the conflict between Israel and Palestine until recently, it can be hard to contextualize the daily news of violence. The geopolitics behind the conflict are complex, and tangled up in religious history, since the ancient city of Jerusalem—originally founded by the Jewish people—now plays a key role in the tradition and worship of Christianity and Islam as well.
Given the historic issues of both anti-Jewish hate and Islamophobia, some Catholics might be inclined not to address the issue. They may worry about making a misstep, or fear that they simply don’t have enough information to weigh in. And some might think it simply isn’t something they have an obligation to care about.
In this episode of the podcast, the hosts talk to Jordan Denari Duffner and Julie Schumacher Cohen about how Catholics should respond to the conflict in Gaza. Denari Duffner is a Catholic theologian, author, and professor whose work centers on Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue, Islamophobia, and Israel-Palestine. Schumacher Cohen is a doctoral PhD candidate in political science at Temple University, who focuses on religion and politics, and has long been involved in Israel-Palestine peacebuilding and advocacy. They are co-authors of the book, Palestine, Israel, and Catholic Social Teaching, forthcoming from Orbis Books in fall 2026.
Learn more about this topic in these links:
- “Our Catholic faith demands that we confront Islamophobia,” a U.S. Catholic interview
- “Christian antisemitism is not a thing of the past,” by Megan Clark
- “Reflections on human dignity in Israel and Palestine,” by Joseph Antoniello
- “The Voice of Hind Rajab calls us to confront reality in Gaza,” by Julie Schumacher Cohen
- “The fate of a soccer field points to the reality of life on the West Bank,” by Kevin Clarke
This episode is sponsored by Catholic Relief Services. In Gaza and beyond, Catholic Relief Services works with the local Church and trusted partners—serving communities of all faiths with compassion and care. Learn more at crs.org.
