The Catholic Church’s View on the State of Israel

 

A friend recently asked me about the Catholic Church’s view of Israel.  The response of the Catholic Church to the establishment of Israel in 1948 was rather slow, yet hopeful.  In 1993, the Catholic Church recognized the State of Israel and established diplomatic relations with Israel.  In 2003, Pope John Paul II argued that God’s covenant with Israel has never been revoked, thus echoing the words of Saint Paul (Rom 11:29).  In 2013, Pope Frances reiterated the sentiment that the covenant with Israel is irrevocable.  Gavin D’Costa, who is a Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bristol, argues that Catholics need to take the biblical promises to Israel seriously.  He is researching a “Minimal Catholic Zionism” where Jerusalem could be seen as the capital of Israel as part of God’s providence as long as it does not deny the rights of Palestinians.