Despite the war, it is Christmas in Bethlehem. The place where the light of hope has never gone out is in the limelight of the whole world : in the Basilica of the Nativity, where Our Lord was born and continues to be born in the heart of every Christian. The celebrations of 24 December took place in a climate that was not only rainy, from the meteorological point of view, but also cold and austere, after the decision to […]
The meeting between St Francis and the Sultan of Egypt al-Malek al-Kāmel in 1219, and now taken as a precursor model of interreligious dialogue, has become the subject of a new opera produced by the Custody of the Holy Land and performed for the first time in Lebanon in the form of a concert on 6 November 2021, in the church of S Elias in Beirut and on 7 November in Tripoli in the church of St Marouan, in collaboration […]
The Custody of the Holy Land, like the whole of the Franciscan Order, has started a reflection on the vocation and role of “lay brothers.” This expression refers to religious who are not also priests. On Monday 22 April, the “lay brothers” of the Custody (there are 34 of them in all) met in Jerusalem for a day of study, reflection and dialogue. The Custos of the Holy Land, fra Francesco Patton, also took part in one session and celebrated […]