Experts: Debates about Zionism, even by Catholics, often at odds with Catholic understanding

Some current public debates about Zionism, including among Catholics, are at odds with the Catholic understanding of the term, which itself has an array of meanings, as does the word “Israel” itself. Accordingly, broad catechetical education about Jews and Judaism for Catholics is more needed than ever. Recent clashes invoking Israel and Zionism have seen Holy Land patriarchs and Church heads denounce Christian Zionism as among the “damaging ideologies” that ultimately harm the presence and unity of Christians there. In 2018, the retired Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “the Vatican has recognized the State of Israel as a modern constitutional state and sees it as a legitimate home of the Jewish people, the rationale of which cannot be derived directly from Holy Scripture. Yet, in another sense, it expresses God’s faithfulness to the people of Israel.”