Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the Holy Land and President of the Association pro Terra Sancta, took part on Sunday 24th August 2014 in the 35th edition of the Meeting for friendship amongst Peoples, held in Rimini (Italy), which this year had the theme “Towards the peripheries of the world and of existence. Destiny has not […]

“I just returned to the Parish in Gaza and the situation that I have found is even worse than I imagined”. These are the words by Father Mario da Silva, superior of the community of the Incarnate Word in Gaza, who lives in the parish of the Sacred Family together with Father Jorge Hernandez, the […]

Tuesday morning (29th of July) after the residents of Al-Zeitun ─Eastern quarter of Gaza City where the Catholic parish of the Holy Family is also located─ received instructions to evacuate, a bombing carried out by the Israeli army struck a house that was very close to the parish. The damage is huge: the adjacent parish school, […]

The Franciscan province of Syria was established in 1217, when Saint Francis sent Brother Elias of Assisi. Today in Syria there  are different parishes run by the Franciscan fathers, in different cities and villages.

While an agreement is being sought to stop the bombing of Gaza and launching of missiles into Israel, the humanitarian organizations present in Gaza have set up camps for the injured and for families who have lost their homes. If before the outbreak of hostilities life in the Gaza Strip was difficult, now it has […]

“It’s a joy seeing the children smile – states Sister Anna, coordinator of the summer camp in Bethlehem – as these activities allow them to have fun and at the same time to grow their faith.” This is the summer camp experience at the Franciscan parish of Bethlehem, organised at the premises of Catholic Action, […]

The Middle East is not familiar with truce. The humanitarian emergencies are still in full on more fronts than ever, the number of dead and injured keeps growing everyday and it is difficult to see a glimmer of anything other than violence. The sky of Gaza is again being lit up by bombs. Yesterday a […]

The initiative ‘From the children of Zielonka, to the children of Syria‘ has just ended in the primary schools of Zielonka, close to Varsavia (Poland). The aim of the initiative, which took place during Lent, was for the pupils to express their closeness to the Syrian children who are currently suffering enormously due to the […]

Since 2011, the Catholic University of Milan has been working alongside the Custody of the Holy Land on a project designed to value the ancient resources of the San Salvatore library in Jerusalem. Named “Books as a bridge to peace”, it focuses on initiatives which promote the conservation and raised awareness of the Franciscan library’s […]

Little Lucia’s gesture was incredibly endearing. At just 4 years old, during a pilgrimage in the Holy Land with her family, Lucia approached a friar and passed him an envelope. Inside were her savings, the coins collected from her parents and relatives. “I want to help the poor children in Jerusalem, Lucia said, this is […]

From the beginning of the year, the Technical Division of the Custody of the Holy Land has worked endlessly to start new works but at the same time finish some demanding and big-scale projects like the one at the complex of Theodory. This project started in July 2011, and has demanded a special focus in the […]

Below is the story of Auriane, a French volunteer and researcher who worked for three months with the Technical Office of the Custody of the Holy Land. On a daily basis she experienced first hand the restoration of residences in the Old City, carried out through the project “Jerusalem, Stones of Memory” promoted by Association […]

In the early hours of Wednesday 18 June Fra Pietro Alberto Kaswalder has returned to the Father’s house. As a young man he participated in excavation campaigns in Jordan and in Capernahum. Last 14 March the Custos of the Holy Land had appointed him as Director responsible for the restructuring works of the Archeological Park […]

On Friday 30 May, the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” organised a coordination meeting for all Catholic charities working to support the Syrian crisis. The war in Syria was at the heart of the first day of Pope Francis’ trip to the Holy Land. In Bethany on Saturday 24 May, he met with some Syrian refugees […]

Here we provide all the speeches delivered by Pope Francis during his pilgrimage in the Holy Land. From the Mass in Amman, where the Holy Father affirmed “Peace is not something which can be bought or sold; peace is a gift to be sought patiently and to be “crafted” through the actions, great and small, […]

A surprise visit to the refectory of Saint Saviour’s Monastery for Pope Francis, who said to the Franciscan friars : “Thank you for what your are doing in the Holy Land. Without exaggeration we can say that if the Holy Land is alive, if there are Christian communities, a Christian presence, it is thanks to you! […]

A few days ago, the Technical Office of the Custody of the Holy Land finished restoration works on the Church vestry and chancel at the Bethphage Sanctuary, just a few kilometres from the Old City of Jerusalem. The cornerstone of the works is the newly fitted out chancel, which has been totally renovated and made […]

During the Holy Mass on the Manger Square in Bethlehem, among the enthusiasm of many local Christians, Pope Francis said: “The Child Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is the sign given by God to those who awaited salvation, and he remains forever the sign of God’s tenderness and presence in our world. The angel announces to the shepherds: […]

Here there is a part of Pope Francis’ homily in Amman, in which he spoke about the gift of Peace. Peace is not something which can be bought; it is a gift to be sought patiently and to be “crafted” through the actions, great and small, of our everyday lives. The way of peace is strengthened if […]

Pope Francis will shortly arrive in the Holy Land, becoming a pilgrim in order to commemorate the historical trip made by Pope Paul VI in 1964, when he gave a historical hug to the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. The Holy Father will be in Amman, Jordan, on the 24th May, in Bethlehem on the 25th May […]