News Page 13

Jesus was not born in a comfortable house, but in a cave in Bethlehem. He was not warmed by a fire, but by the breath of the animals in the stable. For his cradle he had a manger. Salvation has very humble origins: Jesus was born in a condition of extreme hardship and sacrifice. Even […]

Andrea Avveduto’s journey to Syria There are Christmas lights in Syria, but they are off. Like the withered and dead branches of some strange creeper, the sinuous and embroidered lights, which in Italy are synonymous with festivity, simply go unnoticed there. This is an image taken from Andrea Avveduto’s account of his return on Monday […]

Christians and Muslims, side by side, to build a place of peace. It is happening in Aleppo, the scene of violence that has pummeled the land, gutted buildings and left hundreds of devices buried under the ground, vigilantly awaiting the moment when they will be brought back to light with a devastating blast. The long […]

With the end of the restrictions, Bethlehem is even poorer. Before the acute phase of the pandemic, rivers of pilgrims and tourists poured into the town where Jesus was born. Souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels were flourishing and the majority of the population was employed in the tourism and hospitality industry.  Usually, Christmas was the […]

“The country has been closed to tourists but our projects to enhance the artistic, cultural, archaeological, historical and religious heritage in the Holy Land have never stopped”, says Carla Benelli, Project Manager of Pro Terra Sancta.   It is only recently, in fact, that groups and individual travellers have been able to start visiting the Holy […]

“It is important to let people know what is enduring in Syria,” Guendalina continues. “Like Father Raimondo’s kindergarten in Damascus“. Pro Terra Sancta has financed various initiatives at the church where Father Ramon is now; there is a hospital for the terminally ill, a music school and a kindergarten.  The photos flow: they are those […]

“Everything is destroyed here, see?” says Guendalina Sassoli, president of Pro Terra Sancta Supporters’ Association. She’s showing me photos of the great souk in Aleppo, now reduced to a pile of rubble or little more. “It was even bigger than the one in Istanbul”. The images of the vaults pierced by the bombs, of the […]

What do you think about when it comes to Christmas? Many people think of gifts, decorations, family, a rich lunch. Few think of the less fortunate, of the demonstrations of solidarity and of moments of communion. Even less, however, think of the place where everything originated: Bethlehem. With the Basilica of the Nativity, the Milk […]

“There is no petrol, no gas, no medicine,” says Fadi Bejan, a collaborator of the Associazione Pro Terra Sancta in Beirut, disconsolately. On the phone, he tells us about the crisis that has engulfed his native Lebanon, and lucidly traces its causes and consequences.  Fadi, thirty-seven years old, a former employee in the financial world, […]

In March 2021, the war in Syria regrettably entered its tenth year. The conflict has been brutal, and continues to be so. In 2020 the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic stated that the decade-long confrontation has seen the use of extremely destructive weaponry, used indiscriminately even against civilian targets. This […]

Like every Thursday morning, Ghada H., Monika, Ghada S. and Nuha gather around the big table in the Bet-women workshop. Ghada H. takes the lead: “The Christmas line must be ready by the first weeks of November”, she reminds her colleagues and friends.  Ghada S. scribbles a note in her diary and adds: “That would […]

Jerusalem, the eternal city, the Holy City. “Eternal” because here you really can live and breathe the history of the world. “Holy” because it is the centre of faith for Christians, Jews and Muslims.  Set off with us on a virtual tour of Jerusalem: we will discover together its history, its many identities, when it […]

The first light of dawn shines in Bethlehem, and the first shadows of the day are drawn among the deserted streets. On this Friday in September, the cool, autumn air is still and silent.  Suddenly, the sound of a hammer and in the uncertain morning light the first men can be seen working on Star […]

Sara, Roberta, Chiara and Morgane landed on the 6th of August in Jerusalem for one year of Civil Service with the Associazione Pro Terra Sancta. They will all be involved in projects revolving around the Israeli-Palestinian area. After some difficulties and delays due to the pandemic, the girls were able to start their journey to […]

Pope Francis always reminds us that reaching out to the poor, especially children, means reaching out to Jesus:  “Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the children who (…) lie in the squalid ‘mangers of dignity’: in the underground shelter to escape bombings, on the pavement of a large city, at the bottom of […]