On Wednesday 28 May, on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem, the celebrations followed on one another for the solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus. From the early afternoon, the Franciscan friars of the Custody of the Holy Land gathered in prayer in the place which holds the memory of this event. This year, the celebration took on an even deeper meaning, as the Custodial Vicar, Fra Ibrahim Faltas, stressed: “We are witnesses of a sign of communion: all the […]
On 7 November, a progress report on the archaeological excavations at the Holy Sepulchre was presented to the heads of the three Communities that look after the complex: the Greek Orthodox, the Latin Catholics (Custody of the Holy Land) and the Armenians. The presentation, hosted by the seat of the Custody, was made by the Department of Antiquities of the Sapienza University of Rome, in charge of the excavations. A press release was then released with the main information (the […]
After nine years of service as Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton concludes an intense and unique experience. Appointed Custos in 2016, he has lived through complex historical events, from the war in Syria, to the pandemic, to the recent resurgence of conflicts, accompanying the Custody through a time of great transformation. In this interview, he tells us what it means to live as a "pilgrim" even with institutional responsibilities, which encounters touched him the most deeply, and […]
From Monday 4 December to Friday 8 December, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Patton, visited Croatia. He was accompanied by fra Sandro Tomašević, Discreet of the Holy Land, and fra Siniša Srebrenović, guardian of the Convent of the Agony (Gethsemane), both Croatian, and who have been in service at the Custody for several years. Top level meetings The trip had been planned for some time and had both institutional and religious motivations. Fra Patton met some Franciscan […]
