On the first Saturday of Lent, Jerusalem experienced one of the most solemn moments of its liturgical calendar: the official entrance of the Latin Patriarch into the Basilica of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. At 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 21, Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa crossed the threshold of the Sanctuary, accompanied by two rows of Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land. His entrance preceded by about thirty minutes that of the representative of the Armenian Church, […]
A new pavilion has been inaugurated at the Helen Keller School in Beit Hanina, an institution that has been accompanying girls and boys with special educational needs for years. The school, supported by the Custody of the Holy Land, confirms itself as a place where education is intertwined with inclusion, care, and respect for the dignity of every person. “It is not ability that counts, but the will to grow” Br. Francesco Ielpo, custos of the Holy Land, described the […]
After 14 years of waiting and isolation, the presence of the Custos of the Holy Land has once again made itself felt among the alleys and olive groves of Knayeh, in the province of Idlib. The last official visit dated back to 2011, before the Syrian conflict raised a wall of silence around this area, making the villages of Knayeh and Yacoubiyeh almost inaccessible. February 9, 2026 thus marks a date of rebirth, with the arrival of the Custos to […]
The village of Ghassanieh, in Syria, experienced on November 7, 2025, a historic event marking the return of Christian hope after fourteen years of forced absence due to the occupation by armed groups. The day, lived in communion among the different Christian denominations, represents a true rebirth for the whole community. The official communication of the Custos of the Holy Land In the letter addressed to the friars of the Custody (attached here), the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. […]
