Holy Land, Iraq, Œuvre d'Orient: the geography of a Christian resistance

Context

We opened, in the previous issue, the thread of the USA-Iran agreement of June 19 and the joint call of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem to protect the Christian presence in the Holy Land. Two new publications fit into this thread: the annual activity report of the Œuvre d'Orient, relayed by Le Salon Beige on July 5, and the renewed call of the Churches of the Holy Land, published by Zenit on July 3. The mapping is refined.

The facts (cross-referenced sources)

On one hand, the Œuvre d'Orient publishes its report for 2025-2026: support for several hundred projects, presence maintained in more than a dozen countries in the Near East and the Caucasus, and the reception, on July 2, 2026, of the relics of the Syrian martyrs in Qaraqosh (Niniveh Plain, Iraq), a sign of spiritual reconstruction after Daech (Vatican News). On the other hand, the joint call of the Patriarchs and heads of the Churches of the Holy Land, renewed at the end of June, reiterates the alert: less than 2% of Christians in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, compared to nearly 20% in 1948 (Zenit). Three pressures converge: economic exodus, insecurity, and the non-inclusion of Christian protection clauses in the USA-Iran protocol.

Doctrinal analysis

The social doctrine of the Church, since Dignitatis humanae (Vatican II, 1965, n° 4), affirms the collective right of religious communities to maintain "their own life" on a territory. The Council did not conceive of religious freedom as an abstract individual right, but as an institutional and communal right. Benedict XVI, in Ecclesia in Medio Oriente (2012, n° 32), recalled: the Christian presence in the Holy Land is a "duty" of witness for the universal Church, not just a local right. The formula engages the responsibility of Western Christians.

Stakes for the Church and the faithful

Each Christian family that leaves Bethlehem is a part of the liturgical memory of the whole world that is erased. The sanctuaries become museums if the baptized are no longer there. The Œuvre d'Orient and the Aid to the Church in Need structure a concrete response: education, housing, health, maintenance of places of worship. It is a ministry.

Critical reading and blind spots

Geopolitics is lacking: the USA-Iran protocol does not mention any Christian protection clause, even though the first Trump administration had integrated religious minorities into its diplomacy (Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, State Department, July 2019). This 2026 silence is a choice, and it must be named.

To meditate and to act

A donation to the Œuvre d'Orient is a diplomatic act. A pilgrimage to Bethlehem or Qaraqosh is a vote. The geography of Christianity is played out by our airplane tickets and our bank transfers. The faith of Antioch and Jerusalem awaits our concrete actions.