Father Piotr Zelazko is Vicar for the St. James Vicariate in Jerusalem and has been priest in Israel for fifteen years (he is a native of Poland and studied in Rome). He describes the Catholic Church in Israel today and also the broader Christian community. He discusses some of the challenges and many joys of the ecumenical work he does with Jews, Muslims, and the many other Christian denominations in the Holy Land. And he tells a lot of stories of pastoral work in Jerusalem and in the desert at Be’er Sheva.

The first 24 minutes of this recording are an update from Father Piotr about the current war between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, 2023. The interview I recorded in August begins at 24 minutes.

• Website of the Saint James Vicariate for Hebrew-Speaking Catholics in Israel.
• Father’ Piotr’s webpage.
• Father Abraham Shmuelof reading the Torah; Father Abraham’s biography.
• Cardinal Pizzaballa’s offer to be exchanged for hostages.
• The story of Rachel Edery who fed Hamas fighters with coffee and cookies when they came to murder her.
• Hagiography of St. Louis.
• “The Carousel” scene from Mad Men (about nostalgia).

Krzysztof Odyniec is a historian of Medieval and Early Modern Europe; he is also the host of the 'Almost Good Catholics' podcast.

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