As the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran heightens with the series of joint strikes that took place on February 28, which the military named “Operation Epic Fury,” I have been intently observing the stories coming from the Holy Land. In recent weeks, there have been reports of Holy Land pilgrims stranded due to the escalating violence. What was supposed to be a spiritual journey for many Christian and Catholic pilgrims, especially during the period of Lent, has become a perilous journey with grounded flights, air raid alarms, and shelter seeking pilgrims, all because of the retaliatory missiles from Iran targeting Israel.
Photo Credit:
Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash.
Airspace closures in the Middle East have stranded many pilgrimage groups in Israel and the West Bank, with many commercial flights grounded and borders heavily restricted. Pilgrims who arrived in late February to follow the routes walked by Jesus, visiting places such as Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, and Jerusalem, are now in a state of uncertainty, shuttling between hotels with bunkers, churches, and underground shelters because of the retaliatory missiles from Iran.
One such group consists of 17 Italian and Italian American pilgrims led by Fr. Luigi Portarulo, the parochial vicar of the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York City, who were en route to Masada but had to stop their journey, retrieve their things from Bethlehem, and seek shelter in a Jerusalem hotel with a bunker to protect them from the explosions caused by the retaliatory missiles from Iran. According to Fr. Portarulo, the terror they experienced hearing explosions near their location, with the group celebrating Mass in the dimly lit hotel because the lights had to be turned off to protect them from the explosions, and the ground shaking beneath their feet, has been a trying time indeed.
The Franciscan friars in Jerusalem and Jaffa have become safe havens for other pilgrims, including Italian and Chinese Catholic pilgrims, providing shelter and assistance to those affected by the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land providing assistance, with leaders such as Fr. Francesco Ielpo invoking the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi, who promoted peace, and stating that hope is not lost, not even now.
Historic Dogfight: F-35 Downs Iranian Fighter Jet | CBN News CLICK TO READ MORE
American church communities have similar experiences as well. A group of 40 people from Calvary Chapel in South Carolina arrived on February 20 to go on a biblical tour, but now they are moving between bomb shelters and hotels, holding church services in the shelters while trying to arrange their overland journey to other countries to hopefully board flights home with the help of their congressional friends.
In Connecticut, about a dozen pilgrims from Episcopal churches, including St. Luke Parish in Darien, took refuge in a Jerusalem landmark church before entering Jordan via the Allenby Bridge and are now returning home from Amman.
Other accounts include groups from Idaho (Capital Church in Meridian), Wisconsin (Lakeland Community Church in Lake Geneva), Arizona (a women’s group from Calvary Chapel Snowflake), Arkansas (Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock), and more, all with their flights home cancelled, sirens blaring, and praying in the midst of the war.
Benedictine Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel of Dormition Abbey and Tabgha Priory took refuge with the pilgrims, some of whom were French, in Tabgha and prayed for all sides: those in Iran, Israel, Palestine, and the region.
Extraterrestrial Life as God’s Creation: A Perspective – Terrene Globe Market Research CLICK TO READ MORE
The Christian communities in the region are also suffering, as evidenced by the Palestinian Christian communities in the West Bank, including in the Christian town of Taybeh, who fear increased violence by settlers because of what they see as emboldened actions by settlers in the region.
In Gaza, the small Christian community holds on to Holy Family Church in the midst of fragility.
Throughout the region, Christians in Iraq, Iran, and beyond seem stunned, praying as leaders like the Chaldeans name it their only hope. Catholics from bishops to ordinary citizens offer words of calm, negotiation, and prayer, with Pope Leo XIV decrying the “spiral of violence” and calling for urgent talks to prevent tragedy. The United Nations holds emergency meetings, and the U.S. bishops urge restraint and peace.
These stories have touched my heart. Pilgrims sought to be close to Christ and have become beacons of hope as they gather together for fellowship and prayer. In the face of fear and uncertainty, many have found moments of transformation, singing hymns while sheltered, praying together, and holding on to hope. The situation is fluid and changing, with overland evacuation and negotiation efforts opening possibilities for peace. For now, pilgrims pray for safe return home, for peace, and for the end of violence and fear in this region that has known so much strife and violence.
Sources and References
National Catholic Reporter: “Amid escalating attacks, Catholic groups visiting Holy Land are stranded” (March 3, 2026)
New Haven Register: “Members of Connecticut church escape Jerusalem for Jordan amid Middle East conflict” (March 1, 2026)
KTVB: “Meridian church group stranded in Israel as flights remain grounded amid rising tensions” (March 2026)
WISN: Articles on Lake Geneva church group stranded in Jerusalem
The Boston Pilot / OSV News: Articles on Catholic response and Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel