Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem forgives school debt of all diocesan families

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visits a kindergarten in Haifa. / Credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 17, 2025 / 15:44 pm (CNA).

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has decided to forgive the school debts of all families in the diocese for the school years prior to the Jubilee of Hope as a gesture “to promote and demand justice, equity, and, above all, solidarity.”

The patriarchate is the Latin-rite Catholic diocese based in Jerusalem, reestablished in 1847 by Pope Pius IX. Its ecclesiastical jurisdiction encompasses Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus, serving the Latin Catholic communities present in the Holy Land and these regions of the Middle East.

In a statement, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said the jubilee year “has taken place in a context of violence and war,” which “seems to be increasing evermore.”

The cardinal explained that under the motto “Hope Does Not Disappoint,” Catholics are called “to a special conversion of heart. We are called to return to God, to rediscover our Christian roots and the beauty of our faith.” They are also called to “heal the relationships we have wounded” and to “rediscover the joy of encountering Christ.”

Despite the perilous situation in the region, one that has had “serious consequences for the lives of all our families and institutions,” Pizzaballa said he sees it as an opportunity not to get lost “in petty and short-sighted considerations but to focus on the essentials of life in our relationship with God and in the life of the world.”

Thus in order to give expression to “this desire for change, for renewal, for a return to God and to our brothers and sisters,” the patriarchate has decided to forgive “all debts of all the families to the schools of the Latin Patriarchate for the years prior to the jubilee, that is, up to and excluding the 2024-2025 school year.”

“This was not an easy decision to make because of the costs involved. As you can imagine, the various administrative offices did not fail to raise their legitimate concerns. Nevertheless, we feel it is necessary to make this gesture and to once again trust and rely on God and his providence,” the patriarch wrote.

“We hope that this gesture will make life easier for many of our families in need and help them to regain confidence and hope,” the statement added.

Pizzaballa pointed out that the jubilee is also “a time of responsibility” and that debt forgiveness “means that everyone commits to changing their lives and taking responsibility for their obligations.”

“The forgiveness of these debts therefore does not release anyone from their responsibilities, not even families, in their obligations to schools. It is a special time that, precisely because it is so, remains a unique moment that involves us as a Church and requires everyone to take their responsibilities seriously,” the patriarch explained.

He therefore asked all school principals to “to implement and communicate this decision immediately to those concerned” and the patriarchate’s administrators to “update our books in accordance with the decision made.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.