They wait all day, doing nothing. Some of them only wait for a few days, others for weeks, and in some cases they wait for months. They are all refugees who landed on the island of Rhodes. They come from Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan. When we go visit them, they are watching an old Charlie […]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Dear men and women of good will, May the Lord give you peace! On our own behalf, and that of our confrères who live in the Middle East, especially in Syria, in a region which is experiencing terrible warfare and violent conflicts, we wish to express our gratitude to the Holy […]

The cataloguing of the 17th century books preserved at the General Library of the Custody of the Holy Land has recently been completed. This represents a further step in the knowledge and enhancement of the library heritage of the Franciscans of the Holy Land. The project “Books, Bridges of Peace”, sponsored by CRELEB – the […]

The project ‘The desire of water’ has started again during the summer. The aim of the project is to provide new water tanks, panels and water heaters to families in need of Bethlehem. The supply of drinking water in the West Bank, is particularly difficult due to a distribution system and building services that are […]

(from Christian Media Center) The third edition of Music Therapy Intensive Workshop for therapists and educators, organized by the Association Pro Terra Sancta, was held during this summer. Twelve boys from Jericho, Bethlehem and Jerusalem attended the third edition of the 10 day intensive course “You will find me in the sound”, that was organized […]

The many forces involved in the Syrian conflict, are now fighting violently for the final conquest of the city. According to the Observatory for Human Rights in Syria 327 civilians died from July 31 to today. Among them there are 76 children and 41 women. “There is no electricity, as usual, and lack of  water, […]

On July 22 the representatives of the General Assembly of the Association pro Terra Sancta met in Jerusalem. For the first time the new Custos of the Holy Land Fr. Francesco Patton participated to the Assembly. Fr. Patton is also the new President of the Association. In addition, three new members were appointed: Fr. Ibrahim […]

The General Chapter of the Custody of the Holy Land, which brings together around 150 friars from every province, has just come to a close. Among the friars was Fr. Luke Gregory, who in a recent interview tells about the refugee crisis which has hit Rhodes, the Greek island where he has served as parish […]

Saturday, July 23 the project “Therapeutic Summer Camp for children with special needs” ended. The project consisted in a summer camp held at the Child Development Center, organized by St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Monastery Center with the support of the Association pro Terra Sancta and is part of a greater initiative in support of the […]

Yesterday, the Aleppo Summer Camp resumed its term, which had been interrupted by the escalation of violence in the previous week. Dozens of rockets have been fired at, and caused great damage in the area around the Franciscan Saint Anthony School (one of the properties of the Custody, which in recent years has been supported […]

Online for a few days now is a digital exhibit put together by the General Library of the Custody of the Holy Land, titled “Telling the Tale: Fr. Agustín Arce, Librarian in the Holy Land.” This project was born out of a collaboration between the Custody of the Holy Land and CRELEB – the Center for European […]

“12 years as Guardian of Mt. Zion and the Holy Sepulcher.” This is the subject of the special video produced by the Christian Media Center concerning Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos Emeritus of the Holy Land and now the newly nominated Apostolic Administrator for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Elected Custos in May 2004, Pierbattista Pizzaballa […]

The Mosaic Art Training Course continues to flourish. A new initiative launched by the Association pro Terra Sancta in collaboration with the Mosaic Centre of Jericho, the course has as its mission the development of employment opportunities and the local economy in the city of Bethlehem. The Training Course is a small piece of a much […]

“I am a mother, and for the whole day I am busy with my children, cleaning and housekeeping, and this activity gives a new dimension to my time. Now I am happy to work and to be an artist making hand-made goods.” These are the words of Ameera, after having seen the first results of […]

One month after the visit of Pope Francis to the island of Lesbos, we present two stories of Syrian refugees who arrived to Rhodes and Kos, two of the islands most affected by the serious humanitarian emergency. Here the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land are carrying out various activities to aid the […]

A delegation of the Commissariat of the Holy Land in Tuscany visited Bethlehem in April, led by Fr. Matteo Brena OFM. The delegation stayed at the guest house “Baby Jesus “ managed by the Antonian Society, located just below the home for elderly people. During the visit the delegation decided to donate all the contributions […]

The Terre Sainte College in Aleppo, supported by the Association pro Terra Sancta, was hit on the evening of May 21, by jihadist missiles. An elderly woman died and two others were seriously injured. The place hosts about 20 elederly women in total. Father Firas Lutfi, the Franciscan superior of the College, writes: “At about six in the […]

“Yesterday during Mass, Aleppo was hit by many missiles; several exploded in our area. A lot of people died and many more were wounded, in addition to the deaths and injuries of the past days.” We keep on receiving messages of this kind from the friars in Aleppo. They are worried, frightened. It’s been a […]

On 11, 12 and 13 of May the ‘Palestinian Mosaic International Conference’ will take place in Jericho, Sabastiya, Ramallah and Bethany. For the first time ever, international mosaic experts, along with professors and local experts, will (as stated in the invitation) come together “to assess the state of mosaic art in Palestine, including the external […]

Pope Francis and the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Island of Lesvos on Saturday April 16, to meet with the many refugees gathered there. The gesture has been defined: “A strong message to both men of power and of goodwill”. Nearby, on the Islands of Rhodes and Kos, the Friars of the Custody of the […]