Kairos Palestine Easter Appeal 2025
As we approach Easter, a time of renewal and resurrection, we Palestinian Christians stand at a crossroad….
– one that will determine whether our presence in the land where Christ was born, crucified, and resurrected will endure or fade into history. The threats facing us and all Palestinians—land confiscation, forced displacement, physical assaults and violent arrests, targeted killings, movement restrictions, economic strangulation, and political marginalization—have reached a critical point.
A Turning Point to Protect Christianity in Palestine
An Urgent Call for Unity and Action
Christ is Risen!
Let Justice and Hope Rise with Him!
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark… John 20:1a
It is a dark moment for Palestinians. As we approach Easter, a time of renewal and resurrection, we Palestinian Christians stand at a crossroad—one that will determine whether our presence in the land where Christ was born, crucified, and resurrected will endure or fade into history. The threats facing us and all Palestinians—land confiscation, forced displacement, physical assaults and violent arrests, targeted killings, movement restrictions, economic strangulation, and political marginalization—
have reached a critical point. Still, we are told that while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away.
We call you now—Christians and people of all faiths and good will—to help us roll away the stone of ethnic cleansing and genocide that, without strong and united vision and actions, could mark the beginning of the end for Christianity in the Holy Land. We cannot and should not allow this to happen. Gratefully, this year all Christian denominations in Palestine will celebrate Easter together. This rare moment of unity in celebrating Easter must not be symbolic alone; it must become a turning point in our collective struggle to safeguard the Christian presence in historic Palestine.
For centuries, Palestinian Christians have been the living stones and the guardians of Christian faith in the Holy Land. Yet today, our communities are shrinking under cruel and relentless Israeli policies and practices aimed at erasing our presence. The expansion of settlements in Bethlehem, the attacks on Armenian Christian properties in Jerusalem, the takeover of Greek Orthodox Patriarchate land in Palestine and the broader annexation
plans threaten to push Palestinian Christians out of their homeland.
Christians in Gaza, along with their Muslim neighbors, continue to face
immense suffering during this genocidal war, enduring killings, maiming, and the destruction of their homes, while even their places of worship, like the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius, have been shelled and partly destroyed. Moreover, the destruction of civil infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including the devastating attack on the Baptist Hospital, has all made life unbearable.
The number of our brothers and sisters has dwindled to such an extent that the future of Christianity in Gaza is now in grave peril, raising fears that the community may soon disappear entirely. At the same time, rightwing Christians and global Christian Zionist movements are enabling these policies by supporting Israel’s violations against Palestinian rights. Over 3,000 American Christian Zionist pastors have called on U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, disregarding the suffering of all Palestinians and fueling our displacement. The church in the West, especially in the U.S., must expose and challenge this unholy alliance between faith and settler colonial occupation. We do not exaggerate when we say: If we do not act now—locally, nationally,
regionally and internationally—this could be one of the last Easter celebrations with a significant Christian presence in Palestine.
But on that first Easter morning, the stone was rolled away. Easter is a message of hope, victory over death, and the triumph of justice. This is our Gospel, the Good News: No oppressive power can silence the truth forever. We call upon all Palestinian Christians, all Palestinians—Christian and Muslim alike—and our global allies to make this Easter a turning point.
Read the full Kairos Easter appeal here:
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