In the historic center of Bethlehem, a few steps from the Basilica of the Nativity, many buildings are abandoned and crumbling. At one time these were shops and houses largely owned by Christians who fled the fury of a conflict that still winds silently through the streets of the city where Jesus was born. And […]

Rarely the Jerusalem mosque esplanade has welcomed guests of this type: cardinals, friars, laymen, Christians and others, all lined up to enter one of the most important places of worship in Islam. It happened during the celebrations for the anniversary of the meeting between St. Francis and Sultan Al-Malik Al-Kamil. Carla Benelli, art historian and […]

We are in the courtyard of Sebastia’s Mosaic Guest House. A dance show has just finished and with us there is Yahya, a young man of 24, who at a certain point tells how his adventure with the dabka, the famous Palestinian folk dance, began. Together with two other friends, Yahya is the founder of […]

Since 2008, the Association pro Terra Sancta has supported the charitable activity of the parish of the Holy Family in Gaza. Don Mario Da Silva, pastor of the Latin church engaged for several years in the Strip, told us about the difficulties and problems that have persisted up until now in recent years and require […]

Aleppo. The rubble is easily trampled on in Wartan, a border area that has been the scene of violent clashes. The lights of a warm sunset accompany a small procession that winds through the streets of the city. The frame is sad: houses and buildings destroyed by war, while the sound of drums fills those […]

Since 2011, the Association pro Terra Sancta has been committed to supporting the poorest families in Bethlehem, repairing and replacing domestic plumbing systems and installing solar panels, boilers and water tanks with the aim of making homes habitable. The lack of water is indeed one of the major problems facing Palestinian society on a daily […]

The Middle East Community Program (MECP) 2019, this year, was all-female: nine young female students from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and from other Italian universities participated in the annual program organized by the Association pro Terra Sancta in collaboration with the Catholic University which ended last September 7th. The summer […]

“Do you use medicinal plants in everyday life? Which plants do you know? Would you know how to recognize them? ”With these questions Andrea Primavera, consultant for development of agronomic techniques for the production of medicinal plants and herbs, began his lecture on officinal plants to the women of the female associations of Bethany Shouruq […]

“For us, being here is a privilege, a unique opportunity that very few of our peers can have right now, so thank you so much.” Speaking is Rand, 25, visiting Italy with Vialet, a few years younger. They are Syrians and come from what, according to a recent ranking of the Economist, is the most […]

The Hogar Niño Dios is a welcome house near the Basilica of the Nativity that hosts children and young people with physical and mental disabilities, orphans or those from poor families. Contextualizing the issue of disability in Palestinian society, we are faced with a critical situation. From a social and cultural point of view, the […]

Here’s the video of the beautiful meeting held at the Rimini Meeting in Italy with Msgr. Abou Khazen, Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo, Fr. Firas Lutfi, Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land and director of the Franciscan Care Center and the psychologist Binan Kayyali, on the project One Name and One Future in support […]

For more than a month, restoration work has been underway on the Mosaic Center at the al-Uzair Mosque, the oldest mosque in Bethany, in Arabic Al-Azariya, which stands next to the church and the Franciscan convent dedicated to Saint Lazarus. The mosque dates back to the Ottoman period but was built on the remains of […]

Paola, 40 years old, and Riccardo, 49, are a couple of walkers who have decided to undertake The Path of the Disciple, a journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem based on the guidance of Silvano Mezzanzana, published by Edizioni Terra Santa. She a teacher, he a former firefighter and scholar of theology today, both of whom […]

Summer and the long-awaited school holidays can turn into a detestable period for young people living in East Jerusalem and in many other cities in the Palestinian territories: the lack of public, recreational and cultural spaces is a persistent problem that deeply undermines everyday life of children and the whole community. Although the strong summer […]

From 24 to 27 June, a Digital Marketing course was held in Nisf Jubeil, a village in the heart of Samaria, as part of the “Hospitable Bethany” project: sustainable tourism in support of the local community funded by the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development (project AD10958) implemented by the Association pro Terra Sancta together […]

Last week, after two years of lessons, a group of 20 Palestinian students and professionals finished the Music Therapy course “You will find me in the sound”. The project was promoted by Association pro Terra Sancta in collaboration with Bethlehem University, the Italian association “Musica Prima”, the center “Service of Psychology of Learning and Education […]

The sun beats down strong on these hot summer days. Moisture sticks to the skin, and the smog that one breathes in the streets of the poor neighborhood of Muski covers with its veil an overpopulated and chaotic city. It is precisely here that we meet fra Vincenzo Mistrih, director of the Franciscan Center for […]

As part of the current project, “New mosaicists for Bethlehem”, financed by the Province of Trento and carried out by the Association ATS Pro Terra Sancta, a series of cultural meetings and sightseeing tours in the Al-Tarajmeh and Al-Heirizat quarters of the Old Town have been offered to the residents of Bethlehem, in particular to […]

“In Italy I never had the chance to work at a job related to my degree, ATS has allowed me for the first time to work in my field of study”. Eleonora, 25 years old and a graduate in archaeology and art history, is working as an intern for Association pro Terra Sancta in Jerusalem […]

On the occasion of the celebrations for the Italian Republic Day, the Italian Consul in Jerusalem invited the many Italians who live and work in Jerusalem to a ceremony held on Thursday 13 June on the Casanova terrace, one of the best points to admire the Gerosolimitane landscape : “We decided to celebrate in the […]