The Custos of the Holy Land issues a letter calling the annual Good Friday Collection “a concrete sign of communion with the Church of Jerusalem” in the midst of undeniably difficult times.
By Kielce Gussie
Ash Wednesday signals not only the start of Lent but also a call to remember those in the Holy Land. Each year, the Pro Terra Sancta Collection (Collection for the Holy Land) invites people around the world to offer their support to the holy sites in the Middle East.
Stemming from the Popes’ wishes to strengthen the bond between all Christians in the world, the Collection traditionally takes place on Good Friday. However, on Ash Wednesday, the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, issued a letter encouraging everyone to get involved.
‘Hope appears wounded’
“As Holy Week approaches, our hearts and our gaze return here to the Holy Land, to the land where the Son of God gave his life ‘until the end’ and from which the Church was born,” Fr. Ielpo begins. At the holy sites, the Custos points out, they continue to find in the source of Easter the meaning and hope of their work.
Yet, it is undeniable that times are difficult.
War, violence, and insecurity are ongoing realities in Gaza, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The situation only worsened as pilgrims stopped visiting—aggravating “a situation already complicated for many families who no longer have the means to support themselves.”
Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem
Fr. Ielpo highlights how young people find it difficult to imagine their future in their homeland. “Hope itself appears wounded,” he stresses, “in Bethlehem, in Jerusalem, in the North of Israel, as well as in Lebanon and in Syria.”
A concrete sign of communion
In this context, the Holy Father’s words have a stronger impact, as he has urged everyone to return to the urgent call for prayer and fasting for peace, while strongly appealing for an end to the conflict in the Holy Land.
Consequently, Good Friday then has a more profound meaning for those living there. Fr. Ielpo says the “Pontifical Collection Pro Terra Sancta is not just a gesture of solidarity: it is a concrete sign of communion with the Church of Jerusalem.”
With the money raised by the collection, schools, parishes, charitable works, social projects, and emergency interventions are supported—which in turn means keeping alive the Christian presence in these holy places.
“Today more than ever we are called to rebuild,” the Custos explains, “not only buildings, but we are called to rebuild relations, trust, hope. How do we do this? Through education, through the next generation and families, and “through those places where a culture of encounter and peace can be born.”
As the Church reflects on the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday, Fr. Ielpo asks that the rest of the world not forget the Holy Land. Remember them in prayer and through support.
“Your closeness is for us a precious sign of fraternity and hope,” he says, as our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land do not forget to pray for us.
