News Page 12

Today we recall the Conversion of Saint Paul, which took place on the road between Jerusalem and Damascus (Acts 9:3-7). Damascus is the capital of Syria, and just outside the ancient town stands a rather modern building that preserves, intact, a few meters of a Roman road paved in stone. This is claimed to be […]

The shadow of poverty and the light of Mary. The Witness of Father Ibrahim “The situation in the city of Aleppo is plummeting every day, and casts a shadow over the daily lives of poor people who are out of breath after more than ten years of what is called ‘the Syrian crisis’. Electricity comes […]

La Siria, insieme a Libano, Egitto e Giordania, sono considerati parte di quell’area del Medio Oriente nota come Terra Santa. Questo non solo perché in Siria si svilupparono le prime comunità cristiane e qui ebbero inizio i viaggi e le predicazioni di san Paolo dopo la conversione a Damasco, ma anche per l’importanza di tutta l’area […]

The Jordan River, which means“flowing further and further down” is a fairly large waterway that runs through the entire Holy Land (330 km), from Mount Ermon to the Dead Sea. Its importance is not so much due to its size or economic relevance as to the symbolic value it acquires as a result of the […]

For Sara, Chiara, Morgane and Roberta this year will be a christmas different from the usual. The four girls who participate in the Civil Service program 2021/22 together with our Association, find themselves far from home in a moment that, traditionally, is spent together with loved ones. But in Bethlehem Christmas is at home and […]

Their skin is fragile and very sensitive, a touch, even a kiss would be enough to break it. Like the wings of a butterfly. This is what happens to children with Epidermolysis bullosa EB, a constellation of rare genetic diseases that cause such a pronounced thinning of the skin that any contact is dangerous: if […]

It is already dark when the plane’s wheels touch down on the runway. The queue at passport control is strangely very short. A few decorations remind me that here people are preparing for Christmas too. As soon as I step outside, however, I realise that I am faced with a completely new situation. “See those […]

Jesus was not born in a comfortable house, but in a cave in Bethlehem. He was not warmed by a fire, but by the breath of the animals in the stable. For his cradle he had a manger. Salvation has very humble origins: Jesus was born in a condition of extreme hardship and sacrifice. Even […]

Andrea Avveduto’s journey to Syria There are Christmas lights in Syria, but they are off. Like the withered and dead branches of some strange creeper, the sinuous and embroidered lights, which in Italy are synonymous with festivity, simply go unnoticed there. This is an image taken from Andrea Avveduto’s account of his return on Monday […]

Christians and Muslims, side by side, to build a place of peace. It is happening in Aleppo, the scene of violence that has pummeled the land, gutted buildings and left hundreds of devices buried under the ground, vigilantly awaiting the moment when they will be brought back to light with a devastating blast. The long […]

With the end of the restrictions, Bethlehem is even poorer. Before the acute phase of the pandemic, rivers of pilgrims and tourists poured into the town where Jesus was born. Souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels were flourishing and the majority of the population was employed in the tourism and hospitality industry.  Usually, Christmas was the […]

“The country has been closed to tourists but our projects to enhance the artistic, cultural, archaeological, historical and religious heritage in the Holy Land have never stopped”, says Carla Benelli, Project Manager of Pro Terra Sancta.   It is only recently, in fact, that groups and individual travellers have been able to start visiting the Holy […]

“It is important to let people know what is enduring in Syria,” Guendalina continues. “Like Father Raimondo’s kindergarten in Damascus“. Pro Terra Sancta has financed various initiatives at the church where Father Ramon is now; there is a hospital for the terminally ill, a music school and a kindergarten.  The photos flow: they are those […]

“Everything is destroyed here, see?” says Guendalina Sassoli, president of Pro Terra Sancta Supporters’ Association. She’s showing me photos of the great souk in Aleppo, now reduced to a pile of rubble or little more. “It was even bigger than the one in Istanbul”. The images of the vaults pierced by the bombs, of the […]

What do you think about when it comes to Christmas? Many people think of gifts, decorations, family, a rich lunch. Few think of the less fortunate, of the demonstrations of solidarity and of moments of communion. Even less, however, think of the place where everything originated: Bethlehem. With the Basilica of the Nativity, the Milk […]