In Jerusalem, papal candidate Pizzaballa walks a fine line amid Gaza war tensions
Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, who has lived in city for decades, strives to maintain good relations with both Israelis and Palestinians but is realistic about challenges
VATICAN CITY — Italian Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, a skilled diplomat from humble origins, is the Catholic Church’s highest-ranking official in Jerusalem, where he walks a fine line between opposing factions in the conflict.
Pizzaballa, known for both his stubbornness and spirit of sacrifice, is the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem — head of a diocese that includes Cyprus, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. He is also among the favorites to replace Francis as the next pontiff when cardinals convene at the Vatican to pick a new pope on May 7.
The 60-year-old Franciscan, who has lived in Jerusalem since 1990, has striven to maintain good relations with both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities on the backdrop of the decades-long conflict.
“We cannot be fully religious if we do not work for peace, reconciliation and dialogue,” Pizzaballa told journalists just before departing for Rome for the conclave, as he lauded the peacemaking efforts of Pope Francis.
It was Francis who bestowed on Pizzaballa the cardinal’s red hat in September 2023, less than a month before the Hamas terror group attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, seizing 251 people as hostages, and sparking the war in Gaza.
After the attack, Pizzaballa signed a joint statement with other religious leaders in the region calling on Israel to “avoid killing innocent people” in its campaign to topple Hamas, which rules Gaza.
The statement — which did not condemn Hamas’s massacre — infuriated Israel. Pizzaballa later distanced himself from it and made a point of condemning the terror group’s “unacceptable and incomprehensible barbarity.”
A few days later, the cardinal made headlines by offering to take the place of Israeli children held hostage in Gaza.
As the conflict has ground on, Pizzaballa has been forced to acknowledge the marginal role of Christians, saying in August 2024 that “politically, we are more or less insignificant.”
And despite his zeal for nurturing relations between religions, he has admitted that “at the moment, Christians, Jews, and Muslims are unable to come together… and [even] at the institutional level, we find it difficult to speak to each other.”
Simple country life
Pizzaballa was born on April 21, 1965, in the small hamlet of Liteggio, near Bergamo in northern Italy, in what he has described as “a world now lost.”
“Those were the last years of a simple country life. The visits to the cowshed, where I was sent to fetch milk; the joy of riding in the horse-drawn carts to go and make hay; the simple country games,” he recalled at his ordination as bishop in 2016.
“It was a simple and genuine world, and a sober and happy life. Only with time did I realize how that world would influence me, by giving me a style and pursuit of sobriety and sincerity,” he said.
The young Pizzaballa was especially inspired by a local priest, Father Persec, who did the rounds on his bicycle.
“How they waited for him, how they loved him. And how he loved those people,” Pizzaballa said. “I left home early but I remember those years well and they were instrumental. I wanted to be like Father Persec.”
Pizzaballa persuaded his initially reluctant mother to allow him to pursue a religious education and he studied in the Emilia-Romagna region, graduating in theology.
‘Never abandon you’
In 1999, Pizzaballa joined the Custody of the Holy Land — Franciscans who serve the principal Christian shrines, including in Bethlehem and Nazareth.
He was then appointed apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 2016, tasked in particular with getting the institution’s finances in order.
Fluent in Hebrew as well as English, Pizzaballa has an in-depth understanding of Israeli society and is renowned for his work in the field.
He has not let the conflict stop him from visiting Gaza, as he did in December 2024 on a surprise trip, where he presided over mass three days before Christmas.
It was his second visit since the war began, even though the Gaza Strip has only around 1,000 Christians, including just 135 Catholics.
“You have become the light of our Church in the entire world,” he told the community — which during the conflict sought shelter within the compound of the parish of the Holy Family.
“When the war ends, we will rebuild everything: our schools, our hospitals, and our homes. We must remain resilient and full of strength,” he said in his homily. “We will never abandon you.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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