In this episode of In the Shadows of the Holy Land, we begin by widening the frame with Fr Shiran Fonseka, a Redemptorist priest from Sri Lanka now based in Melbourne. Shiran reflects on three decades of civil war, how neighbours learned to see one another as enemies, and how the Church worked to rebuild trust through preaching justice, defending human dignity, and simply staying with communities while everything around them fell apart. His story, including his congregation’s response to the recent floods in Sri Lanka , reminds us that war and reconciliation are human stories, not tribal ones.

From there, we turn to our main conversation with Sami El-Yousef, CEO of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and a lifelong Christian resident of the Old City. Sami outlines the fragile yet deeply rooted Christian presence in Palestine and Gaza, the network of schools, parishes, and institutions that often step in where the state cannot, and how the Church navigates its mission under both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. He speaks candidly about the scale of destruction in Gaza and the West Bank, the loss of hope, international silence, and the Church’s courage to name injustice without becoming a political pawn.

Together, these two conversations invite us to recognise patterns that repeat across continents: division, dehumanisation, courageous leadership, and the slow, patient work of rebuilding trust. What does it mean for the Church to stand with people in the midst of war , and what might genuine solidarity look like from places like Australia?

Tune in and find out.