News Page 68

Bring the Holy Land with its needs and its charm closer to the Christian Community, but also to the secular world, communicate this reality and ask for support and help: these the words of the Custodian of the Holy Land Pierbattista Pizzaballa in an exclusive interview concerning fundraising. Corrado Paolucci, an ATS Pro Terra Sancta […]

Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, is Custos, or Custodian, of the Holy Places in the Holy Land. His address, this week, to participants at the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops touched on the work the Franciscans do in the region and on his belief that being a minority does not […]

Below are the words of his Holyness Pope Benedict XVI for the opening of the Middle Eastern Region Synod in Rome. “Venerable Brothers,Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,Dear Brothers and Sisters! The Eucharistic celebration, the rendering of thanks to God par excellence, is marked for us today, gathered around the Tomb of St Peter, by an extraordinary […]

Some welcome us shyly, but most part of the children and teenagers of the Holy Land College of Bethlehem, the School run by Franciscan friars, are curious and make themselves available  for pictures, films and questions. Many the impressions one brings back home after a whole morning in schoolrooms and courtyards, with children from the […]

To help the children in Jesus’ birthtown and to protect the historical memory of Bethlehem by accompanying and taking care of the elderly living there: in a few days the Christmas campaign 2010 will be officially launched to support the Christians in need in the Holy Land. You too can think about a different type […]

The Custodian of the Holy Land and Chairman of ATS Pro Terra Sancta Pierbattista Pizzaballa will also attend the conference organized by Communion and Liberation on the occasion of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East. The conference will take place on October 19 at 10:00 in Rome in the […]

Two dates for an exemplary collaboration in the Holy Land, three high-level musical encounters in the Holy Sites of Jerusalem and Bethlehem: the  Institute Magnificat of the Custody of the Holy Land and the Orchestra of the Accademia delle Opere will perform together to celebrate Christmas with the Christian population of the Holy Land. Non […]

A spot still untouched by mass tourism notwithstanding the nearby Roman archaeological site of immense value, the tomb presumably belonging to John the Baptist and the breath-taking landscapes: Sebastia, the town founded by Herod the Great on the site of old Samaria in honour of Emperor Augustus, rediscovers today its own cultural heritage thanks to […]

The Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East will take place in Rome from 10 to 24 of October. Decided upon by Pope Benedict XVI following his journey to the Holy Land in May 2009, this extraordinary Synod Assembly has the task of confronting crucial questions and carries high hopes in […]

The history of the Catholic Churches in the Holy Land, as well as the difficulties and the hopes of the “small flock” living in the Land of Christ, expecting new vitality from the  Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East… Reportages, images, interviews by the Franciscan Media Center. Watch all the […]

Visiting archaeological sites of  great cultural value, walking down one of the marvelous trekking paths of Samaria, tasting typical local products and taking in Palestinian traditions in a cozy environment: it’s possible now in Sebastia, a pearl still relatively unknown to mass tourism but increasingly rediscovered by tourists and pilgrims looking for a natural holiday […]

Yet another stage of the tour in the Holy Land of an art piece of great cultural value: the 1:4 model of the Scrovegni Chapel, donated by Padua Province to the Custody of the Holy Land, is now on show in Jaffa of Tel Aviv at the University College “Ha-Hakademit”. The Chapel, frescoed by Giotto […]

“Jerusalem belongs to everybody, Jews, Christians, Muslims. And above all, it’s a universal heritage of humanity, under UNESCO protection. Why shouldn’t we try to take, always, shared decisions?”. These were the words, some years ago, of Padre Michele Piccirillo, archaeologist of the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum , recently passed away. He was referring to one of […]

68 Christian families have received, during an opening ceremony attended by the Custodian of the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the symbolic keys to the new apartments given to them in Jerusalem (Beit Faji) by the Custody of the Holy Land. “It was a long process with many problems to face” said the Custodian of the […]

A master lecture for the new Franciscan friars at the Custody of the Holy Land to discuss faith and communication in the XXI century. Father Paolo Padrini, expert on web communication and creator of the lucky Iphone application “Ibreviary” met the seminarists of the Custody of the Holy Land to introduce the new applications to […]