Breaking News: Israel Shuts Down Christ’s Resurrection Site. Bishop Strickland & Tucker Respond.

Bishop Strickland begins by addressing the closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Israeli authorities during Palm Sunday, which he sees as a tragic consequence of the broader moral failures occurring in the region. He emphasizes his core principle that 'large-scale destruction of civilian life is never morally justifiable by any nation, by any entity, for any reason.' He questions the authority of Israel's secular government to close religious buildings owned by others and characterizes this as totalitarian behavior. The bishop draws parallels between current events and Holy Week, suggesting there's a spiritual dimension to the targeting of Christians and Christian sites. He notes that no synagogues were completely closed and that the church remained open during both world wars, questioning the safety rationale. Strickland explains Catholic just war theory, outlining principles including proportionality, defense against real (not perceived) threats, avoiding harm to innocents, and reasonable expectation of success. He argues the current conflict fails to meet these criteria. When discussing recent threats against Iranian civilian infrastructure, he maintains his position that such actions are immoral and unjustifiable. The conversation turns to Christianity's co-optation for violent purposes, with Strickland arguing that Jesus Christ's message is fundamentally about peace and that using Old Testament justifications contradicts Christ's new covenant. He emphasizes Jesus's entry into Jerusalem on a donkey rather than a war horse as symbolic of non-violent victory. Regarding Carrie Prejean Bowler's removal from Trump's religious liberty task force, Strickland explains he defended her because she was speaking truth about Gaza casualties and refusing to embrace political Zionism as a Christian requirement. He describes receiving overwhelming positive response to his statement, viewing it as evidence of people's hunger for truth. Strickland discusses seeing God's movement despite increasing persecution, describing current times as a period of purification where hidden evils are being exposed. He references the apparition of Our Lady of Good Success as providing hope for navigating current chaos. When asked about why people lie about obvious atrocities, he suggests there's a supernatural element - that evil creates delusion and blinds people to truth, similar to Paul's description in Galatians. He emphasizes that when people decide 'I know better' than established truth, they open themselves to evil influence. On persecution of Christians, Strickland believes it will intensify as truth becomes more threatening to those promoting false messages. He advocates for responding like Christ - standing firm in truth without becoming violent or hateful, being willing to sacrifice earthly life if necessary while trusting in eternal life, following the example of Saint Thomas More.