After two years of absence, on 13 September 2025 the wooden image of the scourged Christ returned to its place in the Sanctuary of the Flagellation in Jerusalem. The statue, donated some time ago by a community in Barcelona, had been seriously damaged on 2 February 2023, when an extremist broke into the church, knocked down the sculpture and defaced its face. It was a violent act that left shock and sorrow among the faithful present, as the sisters and […]
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 […]
The Custody of the Holy Land celebrated with solemnity the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi and the liturgical feast of the Saint, patron of Italy, with two intense moments of prayer and communion, the vespers of October 3 and the Eucharistic celebration of October 4. The Transitus of the Seraphic Father On the evening of Friday, October 3, in the Church of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem, the Franciscan community, religious and faithful gathered for the solemn vespers of the […]
Br. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, current Custos of the Holy Land, has recently undertaken a series of significant visits to Christian communities in Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus, bringing spiritual support and a message of hope in a context marked by profound difficulties. During his stay in Damascus, Br. Francesco visited the Church of St. Elias in Douilaa to express closeness to the community affected by the recent attack, and met the Patriarchal Vicar of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and […]
