As every year, according to a tradition deeply rooted in the life of the Church of Jerusalem, the Custody of the Holy Land experienced the day of Monday within the Octave of Easter in the small Palestinian village of Emmaus Qubeibeh, a few kilometers from Jerusalem, a place that tradition identifies with the Emmaus of the Gospel (cf. Lk 24:13-35). It is here, in the sanctuary kept by the Franciscan friars, that the Christian community usually gathers to celebrate the […]
There is an image that I cannot forget. I was on retreat at the hermitage of Gethsemane - right there at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Jesus sweated blood on the night of his betrayal - when I saw a Franciscan friar doing a very simple thing: during Mass he recorded his homily. Not for himself, but to send it via message to his contacts, so that that Word would not remain closed within the stone walls […]
On the morning of Wednesday, April 15, one of the most significant traditions of the Easter season was renewed in the Old City of Jerusalem: the exchange of greetings between the Custody of the Holy Land and the Patriarchates of the Orthodox Churches. An ancient appointment, sealed by the Status Quo, which every year bears witness to the fraternity between the different Christian communities who are guardians of the Holy Places. A simple but eloquent gesture, which acquires an even […]
On the evening of Friday, April 3, the traditional Via Crucis through the streets of Rome, led by Pope Leo XIV, will feature texts written by a Franciscan, Fr. Francesco Patton, who served as Custos of the Holy Land from 2016 to 2025. What was the genesis of this text and how did it come into the hands of Pope Leo? The genesis is very simple. I received a phone call from the Secretariat of State and they told me […]
