31 March 2023
JACC: a story of hope in Holy Week

Aron is a refugee who has come into contact with the JACC (Jerusalem African Community Center), the NGO based in Jerusalem that in collaboration with Pro Terra Sancta has been offering concrete help to thousands of African immigrants who cross the border of Israel in search of a better and dignified life. The data collected […]

24 March 2023
Nazareth: interview with Fr. Wojciech Bołoz, OFM

Preserving and valuing the profound meaning of the mystery of the Incarnation: interview with Fr. Wojciech Bołoz, OFM, Guardian and Rector of the Basilica of the Annunciation and Shrine of the Holy Family in Nazareth Nazareth is preparing itself to live the feast of the Annunciation in a context of apprehension. Considered an example of […]

21 March 2023
Fadia and the study between bombs and earthquakes

Fadia is a twenty-two-year-old Syrian girl with a great talent for studying. She and her family arrived in Latakia a few years ago. She had to leave Aleppo, her city, when it was besieged and bombs fell in clusters on buildings in the neighborhood where she lived. Thanks to the help of some friends, she […]

16 March 2023
The engineers and phase two: starting from the houses to rebuild the future.

Diego puts the spirit level to the floor. He checks it deeply. Then, sorrowful, “There’s nothing to do, the floor clearly slopes to the left. The ground has given way. And this building has to be demolished.” It is a story often repeated in the reconnaissance of engineers reviewing houses in Aleppo. Bruno hits the […]

15 March 2023
Sanctions and humanitarian aid in Syria: a complex balance

A few days after the tragedy of the earthquake that devastated Turkey and northern Syria, the public debate has often focused on a very controversial issue, which at this particular moment constitutes one of the main obstacles to humanitarian aid in Syria: international economic sanctions. In these years of war and again recently Association Pro […]

2 March 2023
Earthquake in Syria: damage to our facilities

In northern Syria, the rubble left by the war is covered by that of the earthquake. Or rather, earthquakes, which since February 6 have shaken the ground at least 9 thousand times with aftershocks. Victims in Turkey and Syria have exceeded the tragic threshold of 50,000 people. More than half a million people have been […]

21 February 2023
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: inadequate aid, displaced people in the streets

“Everything is still shaking here, we don’t know what to do anymore! All of Aleppo is in the streets!” Last night, at 8 p.m. local time, about two weeks after the earthquake of February the 6th a second quake of 6.5 magnitude struck Turkey and Syria with epicenter between Antioch in Turkey and Latakia, a […]

15 February 2023
Earthquake emergency: the stories of those who lived it

More than a week has passed and still not all the victims of this earthquake have been extracted from the rubble. These days our staff is relentlessly helping the populations of Aleppo, Latakia, Knayeh and Yacoubieh. The emergency centers welcome more than 4,000 people every day through the provision of food, medicine, blankets and other […]

9 February 2023
Earthquake in Syria: our story continues from Knayeh and Latakia

«The Lord truly saved me from certain death. My church with much of the convent is out of order. Sadly, so many neighbors have died.». So says in a message on whastapp Father Louai Bsharat, a Franciscan friar in the village of Knayeh, Syria. The first news has arrived from the villages controlled by jihadist […]

7 February 2023
In Aleppo, the digging continues between aid and solidarity

“I tried to contact my mother and father, but they didn’t answer me because they had left their phones at home to escape into the street. I thought they were dead. But then I saw them in the street … thank God.” With a broken voice, the young Muna from Aleppo remembers the terrible moments […]

3 February 2023
Syria: 2022 the worst year in humanitarian terms

In the cruelest of silences, Syria is approaching its 12th anniversary of war. The year just past reveals all the tragedy that the Syrian people and refugees still have to endure. 2022 is the year in which fewer casualties have been recorded in Syria since the outbreak of civil war on March 15, 2011. Very […]

27 January 2023
A new floor for the Holy Sepulchre

Many will remember the famous photograph taken just over nine months ago in the Anastasis, the heart of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. The image (photo 1) portrays the heads of the Greek Orthodox, Latin Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Churches lifting a stone of the ancient floor with pickaxes. The gesture marked the beginning […]

20 January 2023
The Civil Service with Pro Terra Sancta

The Department for Youth Policies and the Universal Civil Service have published the call for the selection of 71,550 volunteer operators to be employed in Universal Civil Service projects. There are many young people who over the years have put themselves on the line to live a year to discover the reality of Pro Terra […]

12 January 2023
Beginning and end of Christmas in Bethlehem: Catholics and Orthodox celebrate it with joy

Bagpipes, drums, trumpets and flags were the backdrop to the festive day of Friday, January 6 in Bethlehem. Numerous scout groups from the Holy Land gathered along the streets of the Palestinian city to celebrate the Eve of Orthodox Christmas, which is celebrated thirteen days after the Catholic one. At the same time, the Gregorian […]

22 December 2022
THE CHRISTMAS OF BETHLEHEM. A unique journey through the streets and works of the city of Jesus.

“Joseph and Mary are united by a single imperative: ‘Do not be afraid!’ They are united by a single mission: to collaborate with God so that salvation can be introduced into the history of Israel and humanity through Jesus”. These are the words of the Custos of the Holy Land and president of the Pro […]

19 December 2022
“Sowing what children lack”: Sister Luisa’s kindergarten in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem

“Our kindergarten gives joy to those who knock on our door.” Thus begins the story of Sister Luisa, for three years director of St. Catherine’s kindergarten in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem. Sister Luisa was born in al-Zarqa in Jordan, studied many years in Rome and speaks fluent Italian and English. Like many charitable […]

8 December 2022
Journey to discover the Mosaic Centre in Bethlehem

In the heart of Bethlehem, in the picturesque street of Star Street, already decorated in these days for the Christmas holidays, is the Mosaic Centre. It is a non-profit organization, supported by Pro Terra Sancta, committed to the promotion and preservation of Palestinian cultural heritage. History and objectives of the project The establishment of the […]

2 December 2022
The life of an elderly man in Lebanon today: the story of Michel Rassam

When we set foot in Michel’s house, we immediately understand that the situation is much more serious than expected. My colleague from Pro Terra Sancta in Lebanon and I find it hard to hide our sorrow for the conditions in which the elder Michel Rassam is forced to live. Dirt and disorder reign supreme in […]

29 November 2022
Lebanon preparing for Christmas

Sunday, November 27 was celebrated on the first Sunday of Advent. It officially began a period traditionally marked by hope and desire for peace for most peoples. However, in the global geopolitical landscape, and in particular in the Middle East, the hardships related to war, energy and social emergencies make it increasingly difficult even to […]

25 November 2022
Stories from the refugee camp of Rhodes. The interview with Father Luke.

On the Greek island of Rhodes, some of the poorest migrant families arrive after a long crossing from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq in particular. Father Luke Gregory welcomes and helps hundreds of families by offering them shelter, food, water, clothing and precious words of comfort. The Christmas light that spreads from Bethlehem also reaches the […]