Projects in the Holy Land
Cyprus
It is these ancient ties and significant occurrences that render Cyprus an area of sacred land. Caught between past and present, it possesses an incredible wealth of ancient ruins which perfectly capture the ancient civilization and mythical deities, the antiquated churches and Byzantine monasteries as well as unexpected medieval and gothic cathedrals. Cyprus has a small, tightly knit Catholic community of Latin and maronite followers. These people enjoy the same [...]
Gaza – support for the Christians
A small minority of about 2,500 Christians lives in the Gaza strip among a total population of 1.5 million. The population and specifically the children suffer from extreme hardship by the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel in Gaza, the coming to power of Hamas and the operation “Cast Lead” that saw innumerable casualties, over 1,300 fatalities and sheer unfathomable destruction in early 2009, as well as the Israeli blockade [...]
Franciscan Media Center-News from the Holy Land
The situation in the Holy Land has, for a long time, been marked by complex political tensions, religious radicalism, a state of continuous emergency and social unrest. In this difficult context, the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land play a unique role by supporting the local community in various ways. The Franciscans feel the need to tell of the life, the needs and the hopes of this Holy [...]
Story of the Holy Land
The current situation in the Holy Land, conditioned by many factors, is particularly complex, following the long ongoing conflict as well as the issues related to religious radicalism in the Holy Land. Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Custodian of the Holy Land, recalls: “… it’s not true that the middle-eastern conflict is the beginning of the world tension… it’s quite opposite, the conflict in the Middle East is a result of [...]
The home of Mary Magdalene in the Holy Land
The “Magdala Project” in Magdala aims to revive the home of Mary Magdalene, one of the most famous women in the New Testament, as a place of pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Mary Magdalene was one of the women who followed Jesus, after he had cleansed her of “seven demons”, and who supported him and his disciples in their own means (Lk 8). Mary Magdalene stands out amongst the disciples [...]
Jerusalem, Stones of memory in the Holy land
The project is part of a larger program launched by the Custody of the Holy Land with the aim of providing aid to the poorest families. This project has a positive direct influence on many Christian families who have no income and contributes to safeguarding their presence in Holy Lands and in Jerusalem. A program is underway thanks to the first contribution of the Regione Lombardia. This entails the securing, [...]
Capernaum – the city of Jesus in the Holy Land
The small fishing village Capernaum is of significant meaning to the history of Christianity. It was here that important events in the public life of Jesus Christ took place. Thus Capernaum is to be considered a jewel among the many historical and religious sites of the Holy Land. Capernaum needs to be presented accordingly, in order to reveal its secret to the open public. [...]
Bethlehem and elderly people in the Holy Land
The Custody of the Holy Land wishes to be of support for the families taking care of the elderly and to sustain works of the Antonian Society of Bethlehem, which has attempted to help the poorest and the least well-off since 1913. [...]
Bridges for Peace
Bridges for Peace is an educational project encouraging dialogue and peace. By promoting exchange programmes between Italian and Holy Land schools, it aims to enable students to meet, find out about each others' lives and cultural background and become friends. [...]
