Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, O.F.M., has lived, studied, and worked in the Holy Land since 1990, first as a student of Scripture, then as the custodian of the Holy Land, and finally as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

He describes his role as “part radical and part museum curator—a radical in preaching and living the Gospel, but a protector of the Christian memory, faith, heritage and story that weave us into one believing people over the centuries”.

But he is more. Cardinal Pizzaballa has led his flock hopefully and unflinchingly through the horrors of war, offering his own life during the hostage situation of October 7, 2023, and calling constantly for an end to hostilities. Through years of darkness, he has spurred the persecuted Christians of the Holy Land to “a vibrant testimony of faith and belonging”.

Imbued with the spirit of Saint Francis, this beautiful work includes many talks from Pizzaballa’s years as Custos and Apostolic Administrator of Jerusalem, as well as a robust appendix of material from his time as patriarch. “As the Apostle Paul spoke about the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love (Eph 3:18),” explains scholar Jeff Cavins, “so Cardinal Pizzaballa speaks of the breadth and length and height and depth of the Holy Land.”

What Jerusalem—the heart of all nations—teaches us is that when the Word becomes flesh, He truly enters human history, in all its complexity and brutality. With a prayerful yet realistic gaze, His Eminence searches the mysteries that wrap the land where Jesus walked, bringing it to life before our eyes.

Is there hope for peace in Jerusalem, indeed, the world? Yes—through Christ alone. The Heart of All Nations calls Christians not only to experience Jesus’ radical peace in their hearts, but to bear it courageously into a turbulent age.

“Faith challenges reason to consider truths beyond its comprehension. Anyone especially touched by God’s grace knows this challenge. How great this challenge is, experienced by the rest of us only at a distance, for the people who live in the very place where God intervened personally and decisively for the salvation of the world, where He spoke with the Patriarchs and the Prophets, where He joined Himself in the Word made flesh to our humanity, where He walked and bled, where He died and rose. In these reflections, a true shepherd unfolds for us the quiet persistence and tactful witness of the little local Church in the Holy Land who reminds us all that God is logos and God is love.”
—Robert Cardinal Sarah, Author, The Power of Silence

“[This] work is biblical theology, in the truest sense. . . . The words and wisdom of Cardinal Pizzaballa have brought the Resurrection more tangibly into my own life.”
—J. D. Flynn, Editor in Chief, The Pillar (from the foreword)

“I have been a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem for many years. Pilgrimage and support of the Christian community in the Holy Land is at the very heart of its reason for existence. This collection of Cardinal Pizzaballa’s essays and addresses has provided an outstanding enhancement of my own appreciation and understanding of the importance of sustaining the Christian presence in this very complex part of the world which is home to such an ethnically and religiously diverse population.  I heartily recommend this work to all who seek a deeper understanding of this reality.”
—Archbishop Paul Coakley, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City; President, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

“The most unique look at the Holy Land that I've read. This is a must-read for everyone who is praying for the peace of Jerusalem. As the Apostle Paul spoke about the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love (Ephesians 3:18), so Cardinal Pizzaballa speaks of the breadth and length and height and depth of the Holy Land. This is a must-read for anyone who makes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and everyone who is praying for the Peace of Jerusalem.”
—Jeff Cavins, Creator, The Great Adventure Bible studies

“The realities of the Middle East are confusing at best, and fraught with hostilities at worst. Endeavoring to untangle the cultural, religious, historical, and geographical knots is not for the fainthearted. It would take the brilliant mind and insightful heart of someone living within that reality, yet rising above the fundamentalism and emotion. In steps Pierbattista Cardinal Pizzaballa, a Franciscan who has served since 2004 as the Custos of the Holy Land, and is now the Patriarch of Jerusalem. The essays contained in this most welcome book span his decades of service and experience. Deeply spiritual and adeptly diplomatic, he is loved by the local Christians and respected by Israel and the Palestinians alike. Everyone interested in a balanced and Catholic view of the Holy Land will appreciate his wisdom and instruction.”
—Stephen Ray, Producer and Host, The Footprints of God film series

“The Holy Land is the birthplace of Christianity, but today it poses uniquely difficult pastoral challenges for, and pressures on, the local Christian community. The book in your hands, the collected thoughts of Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch, is a life-giving source of hope in the face of hardship and the work of one of the Church’s finest and most articulate leaders. It’s a beautiful, compelling read.”
—Francis X. Maier, Author, True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church

“Cardinal Pizzaballa is well-known for his heroism in leading Catholics in the Holy Land but The Heart of All Nations puts on full display his brilliance, wisdom, eloquence and faith. This book is a must for anyone who desires to understand the religious, political and historical complexities of the Holy Land in a balanced way and an indispensable vademecum for Holy Land pilgrims wanting to know how the light of Christian faith informs and seeks to irradiate the region’s ongoing tensions.”
—Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director, Pontifical Mission Societies

“This book offers a necessary vision of hope. It reflects on Jerusalem as a universal mother and the Church’s vocation as a bridge between worlds, demonstrating the enduring power of the heart. It challenges us to look beyond fear and discover the transforming grace of encounter. The author claims that political solutions alone are insufficient without a redeemed view that includes forgiveness and a refusal to let hatred consume us. Christians should be a leaven of unity.”
—Archbishop Emeritus Samuel Aquila, Archdiocese of Denver

“There are many who offer simplistic solutions to the complex realities of life in the Holy Land, which encompasses more than just Israel/Palestine. The Church and the world is blessed to have a man as the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa, who studiously and faithfully avoids the easy and ill-informed answers. In this collection, we meet a man, a disciple, immersed in the life of the Church in the Middle East, who attempts the immensely difficult task of being a bridge builder and faithful defender of the Christian community, present in the Holy Land since the time of Christ.”
—Father Benedict Kiely, Founder, Nasarean.org

From out his tender love and fatherly care for all the peoples of his war-torn and yet still Holy Land, Cardinal Pizzaballa offers the whole Church a spirituality born of conflict and fit for our postsecular age: a way of “creating difference” in a world stuck in endless reiterations of the same, of revealing the power of Christ by building bridges between irreconcilable enemies, and of suffering the wounds of the Church, refusing to skip to cheap solutions that always fail to satisfy man's yearning for the Holy City, the kingdom of God.
—Marc Barnes, Editor, New Polity