Christians in the Holy Land "have never faced anything like this"

With yet another blow to regional stability, many Christians in the Holy Land believe it is time to leave. Yet the mission of the Church remains, bringing hope and dignity to people in their daily lives.
The director of the Development Office of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ), George Akroush, was in Germany when Israel and the USA began a major military action against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
George Akroush at ACN headquarters, November 2025
With all flights to Israel canceled because Iran’s retaliation attacks against Israel and other nations in the Middle East, Akroush began an exhausting 32-hour trip that would take him from Munich to Athens, then to Cairo, and from there, over land to Taba, Egypt, where he and thousands of others boarded Israeli government shuttles to Ben Gurion airport.
“It was really a tiring, terrifying experience, because when we reached the station of Ben Gurion Airport, the sirens went off again, and we were in the most sensitive spot in Israel …