On Monday, July 21, the Custody of the Holy Land joyfully welcomed its new Custos, Br. Francesco Ielpo. In accordance with tradition, the solemn entrance began at Jaffa Gate, through which the Custos entered the Old City of Jerusalem. Awaiting him were the Franciscan friars, representatives of the local Churches, and numerous diplomatic authorities from various countries. The procession towards St. Savior's The procession, led by uniformed Kawas—following the custom shared among the Churches of Jerusalem—made its way to 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 […]
On Sunday, October 5, in the convent of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem, five friars made their solemn profession in the Order of Friars Minor, promising to live forever in obedience, without anything of their own, and in chastity, according to the Rule of Saint Francis of Assisi. The celebration was presided over by the custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, in the presence of numerous confreres, family members, friends, and faithful. During the homily, Fr. Ielpo shared with […]
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 […]
