As conflict continues to grip the Holy Land, Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel, Abbot of the Abbey of Dormition in Jerusalem, remains committed to serving his community amidst the turmoil. In this interview, he speaks with Andreas Thonhauser, EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief, about the Benedictine vow of stability and his refusal to abandon his monastery despite the risks. Fr. Nikodemus also extends an invitation to pilgrims, encouraging them to return and support the community during this challenging time.  

Andreas Thonhauser:  You're responsible for the Abbey of the Dormition, in the center of Jerusalem. But you've come to Rome right now for a Congress of Abbots for the Benedictine community. What are you telling your brothers? What are you bringing back from the Holy Land right now? 

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel, Abbot of the Abbey of Dormition in Jerusalem and in Tabgha: 

We have monasteries in big cities. We have monasteries in rural areas. We have very big communities. We have very small communities. So it's very interesting. Of course, I have my colleagues, abbots, asking me about the situation of the Holy Land, of course. 

Andreas Thonhauser: There must be a lot of interest in the Holy Land and how are you feeling right now? 

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel: 

The specialty of all Benedictines, what is really unique for us, is the stability. So you can say, to become a Benedictine, you need a double vocation. One vocation, the way of life of seeking God. That means this very rhythmic life of prayer, working, reading, studying, and the other, it's a very concrete monastery. So you also say a ‘yes to this specific place.’ And so that's what we feel now with my brothers and our two monasteries we have, the Dormition Abbey at Mount Zion in Jerusalem and Tabgha Priory at the Sea of Galilee. It's really to say again a second ‘yes’ to our vocation.   

Andreas Thonhauser: Do you regret this now, in this situation, to have said yes to this location?  

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel: 

Not at all. Quite the opposite. Really, because it's like now it's the time. You have to imagine: so, I'm a German citizen, my government told me and also my other brothers, ‘Please leave the country, it's not secure anymore.’ So, actively, I said, ‘No, I stay.’ I belong to this country. I made a voluntary decision. I want to be a monk in Jerusalem and Tabgha in the Holy Land for my whole life. And this is now, you know, it's a feeling. There are certain moments in life when you have to say a second yes. That's my way. Every single brother of my community, as well as myself, we made the clear stance. We belong to this country. We belong to our monasteries. We are with the people who we feel responsible for. 

Andreas Thonhauser: Could you describe the situation a little bit?  

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel:  

The best word to describe it is that it is like an ocean of suffering. I hear every day, and this is from my Jewish, my Muslim, and with my Christian friends. Stories of suffering, of despair. It's real that feeling of suffering. And now it's here again. How should I react on that? Our answer was very clear. First of all, we stay. And we stay open. Both of our churches were never closed. We always open our cafeterias. We open our shops. We were there. We were there faithfully. We pray our daily prayer from morning till the evening. We were there. That's the very first thing to say. “Yes, we are here. If you need us, we are here to stay and you are welcome.” And then it’s also very clear. Nobody needs a statement from us. Nobody needs, ‘What is your stance on this?’ No. No.  

Andreas Thonhauser: We remember you asking when the conflict started. You said, ‘No, actually, we don't want to speak about this right now.’ But you want to be there.  

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel: 

Exactly, exactly. And then on the 17th of October, this was a very important day for me and also for our students. We have a program for German speaking theology students and some monastic communities. We were 24 hours in our church. We called it the Church Under the Cross. 24 hours because of our wonderful, olive wood, a cross hanging above our altar. We were really looking at this cross, and we prayed all 150 psalms because this was our answer. Not to find words for what you have no words, and not to make statements, but to really trust in this treasure of prayer. What we as Benedictines pray from the morning till the evening. But also, the other monks praying: the Coptics, the Ethiopians, and the Syriac, the Greeks. You know, the Armenians. We are all in this city. Also, the Jews, who pray the Psalms from the morning till the evening, and the Muslims have the tradition of Koran recitation. So, in fact, really to trust your Holy Scriptures and especially the Psalms. So really the fundament of our spiritual life and this was really a big sign to say, ‘Yes, we are here and we trust our vocation.’ 

Andreas Thonhauser: I assume there are not many pilgrims right now in the Holy Land?  

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel 

This is very euphemistic to say not many. And I would say we are close to zero. And this is, almost one year and this is the situation. This is a big burden. It’s a big financial burden for me because I have 30 employees. 24 of them are locals. Most of them are Christians. I also have Jews and Muslims. But the big, big majority are Christians, and especially Jews and Christians from Bethlehem from the West Bank, Palestinian Christians. And, I have so many employees because some might say, ‘Why do you have such a big staff?’ The reason is because I have two pilgrim places. Tabgha is the place of the multiplication of bread and fish. So, it's a wonderful mosaic. Many people know it from the Bible with the basket, with the bread and the two fish. That's my monastery, Tabgha. And Jerusalem. Mount Zion, that's the place of the Assumption of Mary, Dormition. If you came on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, you were definitely at our two monasteries. So on very, very good days, in good times we received 5000 pilgrims a day.   

Andreas Thonhauser: 5000 pilgrims a day.  

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel 

5000 pilgrims a day. And of course, the pilgrims want clean toilets, they want a cup of coffee, they want a clean church. You know this. And for all that, I have so many people on staff so that the pilgrims have a good time. It's difficult. Really difficult, because it's been almost a year and we have lost more than a half million euros. I do not have much energy left. It's really difficult. But I think this is also part of my vocation to say, really, because we speak a lot about solidarity as Christians now, it's not theoretical now, it’s very practical for me. 

Andreas Thonhauser: Is there any end in sight to the violence in the Holy Land? And can we say that it will be possible for pilgrims to return?   

Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel: 

For pilgrims, I could really say, and I'm not joking, I'm very serious, ‘Come, come now.’ You can come. There are flights. Also, my monastery, you can stay in our monasteries. We have rooms that are free. There are not many other guests. I would really say, ‘Come, come!’  

Adapted by Jacob Stein