“If ever their presence failed completely, then the fervor of living witness in the so famous Temples would be extinguished, and the Holy Places of the Christians, whether in the city of Jerusalem or throughout the Holy Land, would clearly become museums. . “We have already openly confessed on other occasions how concerned we would be if the number of Christians were to decline more and more in those ancient regions that were the cradle of our faith,” the Pontiff explained.
For these reasons, it establishes the Good Friday collection: “In all temples and oratories, entrusted to the clergy, whether diocesan or religious, once a year – on the 6th day of the Holy Week of the Passion of the Lord, or on another day designated by the Ordinary of Light -, in addition to pouring out special prayers for our faithful brothers in the Holy Land, a contribution must also be made to the stocks, which will be allocated to them.
Custodian of the Holy Land: “Help us”
In its message on the occasion of the collection for the Holy Landthe Custodian of the Holy Places, Friar Francesco Patton, emphasizes that after the outbreak of war in October 2023, the visit of pilgrims was blocked “once again, forced our young people to miss school for long periods and left without work many of our Christians in the Holy Land, especially in Bethlehem and Palestine, but also in the Old City of Jerusalem and in Israel.”