Since 2011, the "Books, Bridges of Peace" project has been active in preserving the immense library heritage of the General Library of the Custody of the Holy Land and the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, operating in Jerusalem since 1924.
Pro Terra Sancta has compiled an updated catalog of the volumes available in the libraries, also overseeing the digitization of the collections with the most significant cultural value, contributing to providing appropriate training to local staff. The results achieved were made possible thanks to collaboration with the European Research Center for Books, Publishing, and Libraries (CRELEB), affiliated with the Milan branch of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; directing the project was – and still is – Professor Edoardo Barbieri, a lecturer in the History of the Book at the Catholic University of Milan.
In 2023, despite the difficulties associated with the outbreak of conflict, the project continued along the lines that had been developing in recent years, with the support of volunteers from the civil service whom we provided with training and support in their work. Due to the impossibility of organizing study trips to Jerusalem, it was decided to organize two new digital initiatives to delve into some topics of interest and provide tools for studying and consulting the catalog: the exhibition "Franciscans and Pilgrims in the Holy Land between the Eighth and Nineteenth Centuries: A 'Typographic' History" and the publication of the "Access Key to the Manuscripts of the Library." Both initiatives are freely accessible on the General Library's website. Another exhibition, planned to be displayed in Jerusalem, had to be postponed; however, the University set it up in Milan to create an opportunity for dialogue and historical and cultural exploration and to somehow act on the desire to actively collaborate in support of the Holy Land.
The initiative now extends beyond the borders of Jerusalem: in the Musky neighborhood of Cairo (where Pro Terra Sancta already has an active education and assistance project), a similar project for the study and arrangement of the Franciscan Center for Eastern Christian Studies has begun. In Egypt, the Musky convent is the only one belonging to the Custody, and its Center is an important testimony to the history of Christianity in the Arab world. It is a privileged observation point for the encounter between Latin and Orthodox Christianity: therefore, it is a fundamental reference point for the promotion of knowledge and encounter, a cornerstone of Pro Terra Sancta's projects. The Center needs personnel and resources to be organized, cataloged, digitized, in short, made accessible and available to scholars conducting scientific and academic research, and this is why the Association regularly supports the convent and its study center.
