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NEWS FLASH

The Order bids last farewell to Honorary Assessor Msgr. Giuseppe De Andrea

Archbishop Giuseppe De Andrea was born in Rivarolo Canavese on 20 April, 1930. He was ordained a priest in 1953 in the Consolata Missions Institute, a congregation that devotes particular attention to the evangelization of peoples.

The young priest served in the Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania (USA), for more than two decades, where he held various pastoral positions in education and administration. He was called by the Holy See to serve in the office of Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York from 1983 to 1994. Subsequently for five years he worked for the Vatican as the Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

Monsignor De Andrea received the fullness of the priesthood in 2001 and was appointed titular Archbishop of Anzio. He also received the responsibility of serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen, in addition to serving as Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula. In the homily at De Andrea’s episcopal consecration, Cardinal Angelo Sodano recalled the faithfulness to the call received that has always accompanied this pastor of God’s Church: “Dear Father Giuseppe, an immense field of work opens before you.As the young Samuel, you listened to the Lord’s voice, and promptly responded: ‘Here I am, O Lord... your servant is listening’ (Samuel 3:1-10). Like Mary on the day of the Annunciation, you expressed your ‘yes’ to the Lord’s call”. In 2003 he was also appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Qatar. In 2005, upon having reached the age limit, he retired from diplomatic office.

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem has been fortunate enough to benefit from the experience and pastoral care of Msgr. De Andrea in the years when he served as Assessor of the Order (2008-2013), a position which he carried out with special dedication from 2011-2012, the period of time between the resignation of the Grand Master Cardinal Foley and the moment his successor, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, took possession of his position. From that time until his last days, as Honorary Assessor, he was always close to the mission of our Knights and Dames, and sustained it with his efforts and prayers.

Monsignor De Andrea passed away on 29 June, 2016, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, and his funeral was held on the first Friday of July in St. Peter’s Basilica. All members are united with the Grand Master, the Governor General and members of the Grand Magisterium, in accompanying this friend and supporter of the Order with prayers as he has returned to the house of the Father.

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Members of the Order pray for Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, has welcomed the appointment of Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa as the Apostolic Administrator of the vacant see of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and his elevation to the rank of Archbishop. Cardinal O'Brien assures the accompaniment in prayer of members of the Grand Magisterium, and of all the Knights and Dames of the world, entrusting his mission to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine.

Pope Francis accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, presented by His Beatitude Fouad Twal, in accordance with can. 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law and appointed Apostolic Administrator of the vacant see Rev. Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M., elevating him to the dignity of archbishop, assigning him the titular see of Verbe.

Rev. Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M. was born in Cologno al Serio, in the diocese and province of Bergamo, on April  21, 1965. After being accepted into the minor seminary of the Franciscan Province of Christ the King, Bologna, in September 1976, on September 5, 1984, he began his novitiate in the monastery of La Verna. He made his temporary profession in La Verna on September 7, 1985 and his perpetual profession in Bologna on October 14, 1989.

After the first cycle of philosophical and theological studies, he obtained a Degree in Theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Antonianum in Rome. On January 27, 1990 he was ordained deacon and on September 15, 1990 he was ordained to the priesthood in Bologna Cathedral by H.E. Cardinal Giacomo Biffi.

He arrived in the Custody of the Holy Land on October 7, 1990 and completed his postgraduate studies at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem in 1993. He later served as a professor of Biblical Hebrew at the Franciscan Faculty of Biblical and Archaeological Sciences in Jerusalem.

He began his service in the Custody on July 2, 1999. On May 9, 2001, he was appointed Guardian of the convent of Saints Simeon and Anna in Jerusalem. He was involved in the pastoral care of the Catholic faithful of Hebrew expression and was appointed Patriarchal Vicar in 2005 until 2008. The General Definitory elected him Custodian of the Holy Land and Guardian of Mount Zion in May 2004. On 22 March 2010 he was re-elected. In 2013 his term was postulated for another three years. His term ended in April 2016.

(Communiqué of the Holy See Press Office June 24, 2016, [original text italian])

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Children of an empty tomb

In his homily during one of the morning Masses that introduced the working sessions of the last meeting of the Grand Magisterium which took place during the Easter season, Msgr. Fortunato Frezza summarized the spirituality of the Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Master of Ceremonies of the Order, Mgsr. Frezza, was inspired by the readings of the day which recalled the martyrdom of St. Stephen, deacon of the nascent Church, the persecution of the early Christians and Jesus' discourse on the Bread of Life (Acts 8:1b- 8 and John 6: 35 - 40). Below, we publish an excerpt of this spiritual reflection which can illuminate our path of faith and continue to nourish our prayers in the footsteps of the Risen Lord.

"The Lord's land is one of holy tombs and of bread, bread of eternal life. Is not the Risen Lord, the Lord of the empty tomb, bread of eternal life? He repeats: "I am the bread of life." He who eats of this bread will never die and also his tomb will remain empty forever, because the Risen Lord promised: "I will raise him up on the last day."

Brothers and sisters, are we not the children of an empty tomb? Even today our life is clinging to this empty tomb, which has become like an open cupboard, containing the bread of life. It is the foundation of our faith, because if Christ is not risen, we are truly the most unfortunate of humanity. The soul of our Christian witness is the Easter proclamation: Christ is truly risen!”

“We, who are born from an empty tomb, we live for it, and we have committed our lives to protecting it and protecting those who live next to it, those who like the apostles remain in Jerusalem and those who are scattered over the land which is the land the Risen One. Our every action, our oath, our outstretched arms are the hands of our faith which becomes a diakonia of works. Our generous, silent oblation is in reality a concrete sign of the faith that cries out proclaiming the Resurrection; it is the voice of the Apostles and deacons convinced that Christ is truly risen. We, Knights and Dames, we are the deacons, the servants of this proclamation".

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Ambassador Alfredo Bastianelli, New Chancellor of the Order

The Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, has appointed Ambassador Alfredo Bastianelli as Chancellor for a term of four years. Bastianelli is a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great and a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Born in Rome on January 26, 1951, he married Fiammetta Fiorentino in 1983, and is father to three sons: Giovanni Battista, Ascanio and Niccolò.

A graduate in Law, the new Chancellor served the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for many years, holding positions at the Italian Consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and at Italian embassies in Canada, Mozambique and Indonesia, in addition to the Permanent Representation at the European Union. He then served as Ambassador of his country in Angola, Cyprus and Belgium.

The new Chancellor is multilingual, speaking Italian, English, French and Portuguese fluently. Alfredo Bastianelli has also been a Gentleman of His Holiness since 2007. The members of the Order, present throughout the world, wish him welcome, and join together in prayer, entrusting his new mission to Our Lady of Palestine.

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Jubilee Pilgrimage of the Holy Sepulchre to Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii

By decision of the Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, October 15 next the Italian Liutenances will make a Jubilee pilgrimage to the Shrine of Pompeii. Many are expected to participate, not only the Italian members of the Order, but also all the Knights and Dames of the world who wish to attend, knowing that the various Lieutenancies will have to organize travel and accommodation for their members. Mass at the altar of the Virgin is scheduled at 10 am and the recitation of the Rosary will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at 4pm, in the chapel dedicated to Blessed Bartolo Longo, before passage through the sanctuary’s Holy Door. Blessed Bartolo Longo, who until now was the only lay member of the Order to be beatified, was defined by St. John Paul II as a “man of the Virgin”. In his homily at the beatification, October 26, 1980, the Pope said of him that “for the sake of Mary, he became a writer, an apostle of the Gospel, a speaker of the Rosary, founder of the famous sanctuary in spite of the enormous difficulties; for love of Mary he created charities, he became a beggar for the children of the poor, he turned Pompeii into a living citadel of human and Christian goodness; for love of Mary, he endured tribulations and slander in silence, he underwent a long Gethsemane, trusting in Providence, ever obedient to the Pope and the Church”. His human and spiritual path, which is in itself a message of love, shows us how great the mercy of God is and how profound the conversion of a heart can be. Every day, in Pompeii, pilgrims experience the triumph of grace over the ruins of sin, according to Bartolo Longo. In the recent issue of the Order’s magazine, Annales, Msgr. Tommaso Caputo, the prelate archbishop and papal delegate of Pompeii, prior of the “Napoli - Lady of the Rosary” section of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, told us: “Seeing the sanctuary and all the works of charity built from scratch, with “a penny a month”, allows us to touch with our own hands the truth of God’s message of love, through the mediation of the Virgin, gifted to Bartolo Longo, not only for himself, but for all of us”.

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The Jubilee in the Holy Land

On Sunday, 13 December, in the Basilica of the Agony at Gethsemane, Msgr. Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, opens the Holy Year of Mercy in Jerusalem. Two other Holy Doors allow pilgrims to live the Jubilee: one opened in Bethlehem on 24 December, at the Latin Church of St. Catherine – beside the basilica which was built on the site where Jesus was born – and the other in Nazareth on 27 December, the Feast of the Holy Family, at the Basilica of the Annunciation. Other Jubilee doors are dedicated more closely to the local communities. In particular, with regard to Catholics belonging to the Latin Rite, Msgr. Twal opens the Holy Door in Gaza on 20 December at the Church of the Holy Family, after the one in Amman, Jordan, on 12 December at the Church of St. John the Baptist de la Salle.

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DEATH OF THE GRAND MASTER EMERITUS OF THE ORDER

Cardinal Carlo Furno passed away on 9 December, 2015, the day after the opening of the Jubilee of Mercy, at 94 years of age. Originally from the province of Turin, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Peru, Lebanon, Brazil and Italy before being appointed Grand Master of the Order, a position which he held from 21 December, 1995, until 27 June, 2007. He was also Archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, where his body will rest.

We entrust the soul of the Grand Master Emeritus to the prayers of the members of the Order, and we remain spiritually united with him in the communion of saints, especially during this extraordinary Holy Year.

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Cardinal O’Brien New Member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, as a member of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints on November 6 ^th, 2015.

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, whose prefect is Cardinal Angelo Amato, is responsible for following and supporting the process that leads to the beatification of Servants of God and to the canonization of those who are Blessed. Visit the Congregation’s website to find more information: www.causesanti.va.

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Festivities in Honour of Our Lady Queen of Palestine

There could be no dearer patroness to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre than Our Lady Queen of Palestine. Moved by the desire to devote themselves to the service of the land, where her Son Jesus was born, lived and worked for our redemption, the Knights and Dames of the Order are placed under the protective mantle of His and our Holy Mother.

For this reason, October 25^th is a day that is celebrated with joy and devotion within the various Lieutenancies and Magistral Delegations.

It is also an occasion of great fraternity which allows members of the Order to come together, as happened in Caltanissetta and Pistoia for example, where, respectively, all of the members from Tuscany and Sicily gathered to celebrate the anniversary.

This year, many have decided to entrust prayers to Mary in a special way for peace in the Holy Land, which is undergoing situations of tension.

This anniversary also lends itself particularly to promoting an in-depth analysis of the plight of Christians in the Holy Land. The Florence Delegation of the Order, for example, sponsored an event on October 24^th entitled “The Holy Land of Christians: addressing the root causes, understanding the present, thinking of the new humanism of tomorrow by means of historical paths, life experiences and plans for the future”, which was attended by various experts on the topic.

Just before the festivities, Msgr. Fortunato Frezza, Master of Cerimonies of the Order and renowned biblical scholar, spoke in Spello on October 24^th at the presentation of the restoration of the Polyglot Bible of 1645. This ten-volume Bible consists of around 4,000 pages and contains the full text of Sacred Scripture in seven ancient languages arranged in parallel columns on each page.

As often happens, in order to take advantage of celebrating the feast of Our Lady Queen of Palestine in Deir Rafat, the sanctuary that is dedicated to her, the Lieutenancies have the pleasure of organizing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land around this date. This year, among the faithful gathered from all over the Holy Land, members of the Lieutenancy of England and Wales were present, who were taking part in a pilgrimage led by their Lieutenant David Smith.

 

Icona della Beata Vergine Maria Regina di Palestina dipinta a mano dalle suore di Beit Gemal

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The members of the Holy Land Commission of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre decorated by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

On Wednesday September 30, the Latin Patriarchate honored the three members of the Holy Land Commission of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

In presenting them the Patriarchate Gold Cross,  Bishop WiIliam Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar of Jerusalem, recognized  Prof. Thomas McKiernan, Prof. Bartholomew McGettrick and Dr Heinrich Dickmann, for the many years of commitment and service for Christians of the Holy Land and the Patriarchate. “Thanking you is our duty”, Bishop Shomali pointed out.

They are members of the delegation of the Holy Land Commission of the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, who were accompanied by Fr. Imad Twal, General Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate, during their recent  visit to Israel and Palestine.

The Holy Land Commission of the Grand Magisterium regularly visits project sites of the Latin Patriarchate in Palestine, Israel and Jordan to evaluate the viability for project proposals.  Once these projects are reviewed, detailed proposals are  submitted to the Grand Magisterium, and after a thorough assessment, will decide which projects to support.

Follow up visits are conducted and progress reports are completed.  Furthermore, twice a year, the members of this Commission visit projects that are funded by the Equestrian Order.

Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

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The Grand Master’s visits in the Fall

At the beginning of the fall season, the Grand Master will be busy with various events taking place in different continents. During the first days of September, Cardinal O’Brien visited the Lieutenancies of Scotland (September 5), Sweden (September 7), Slovenia (September 12) and Northwestern USA (September 20) for the ceremonies of investiture.

Moreover, with great joy, His Eminence traveled alongside Pope Francis during his U.S. visit. In October, the Grand Master celebrates the ceremonies of investiture in Toulouse (October 3) and Valletta (October 10). Cardinal O’Brien then is set to participate in the first meeting of the Lieutenancies of Asia and Oceania, which will be held in Adelaide on October 17 and 18, and which will be addressed in the next Newsletter.  

Confirmed commitments for the final months of the year mainly concern Italy,

with visits to the Lieutenancies in Bari, Cagliari and Rome. Furthermore, he will be present at the ceremony during which the King and Queen of Belgium will be awarded with collars. In conclusion, the Grand Master will preside over the first Investitures that will take place in the Czech Republic in a date to be determined.

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Rabbi Abraham Skorka:
A Year after the Historic Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with Pope Francis

A Vision of Peace for Jerusalem

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Conciliar Declaration on the Church’s relationship with non-Christian Religions, which marked an important moment in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and, in particular, with the Jewish world. To celebrate this anniversary, the annual conference of the International Council of Christians and Jews was held in Rome this summer, and had the joyful opportunity of having an audience with Pope Francis, where he stated that “an authentic fraternal dialogue has been made possible since the Second Vatican Council, following the promulgation of the Declaration Nostra Aetate. This document represents a definitive ‘yes’ to the Jewish roots of Christianity and an irrevocable ‘no’ to anti-Semitism. In celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, we are able to see the rich fruits which it has brought about and to gratefully appraise Jewish-Catholic dialogue.” Among those who participated in the conference was the Argentinean Rabbi Abraham Skorka, who was first in line to greet his friend Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and who later granted us an interview.

More than a year has passed since your historical pilgrimage with Pope Francis to the Holy Land. Would you like to share with us why you chose to join him on that trip, and why it was important?

The Holy Land was one of the topics that we often analyzed together, also in our book. The main question was this: what can we do in order to promote peace in the Middle East, and specifically in the Holy Land? For me the State of Israel is a very important theme: a state which has the challenge of showing the development of Jewish culture in our present day. The Zionist Movement is not merely a movement that claims and proclaims the re-establishment of the Jews in the Land of Israel. It is also a cultural movement, which helped to transform Hebrew into a living language, and that voices concern over the future of the Jewish culture.

With regards to “Rome” and “Jerusalem”, there is an historical antagonism between Rome and Jerusalem which is also mentioned in the Talmud. Rome destroyed the province of Yehuda during the terrible war between 67 and 70 which ended with the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem. In 73 there was the siege of Masada and then, from 132 to 135, there was the terrible war was carried out by Adrianus. What we tried to do through this pilgrimage to the Holy Land was to transmit a message of peace, and to express our hope that the gap produced by over 2,000 years of conflict may be filled with sentiments of pureness, love, thus giving the possibility to see one another as brothers in our human condition.

From another angle, the idea was to go to the place to which I direct my tefilot (prayers) and to the place where Jesus – who is so special to the Christian faith – was born, lived, and spread his message. It is a special common place for us, and when I saw Pope Francis after he was elected, I told him: Let us go to Israel. This is the place in which our religiosity, our vision of God, and our connection with God was established. We are the children, the descendants of the great prophets who elevated their prophecies in Jerusalem.

We had our good friend Omar Abboud with us in order to show that all Abrahamic religions must embrace each other, forming a circle of spiritual power which, according to our Holy Scriptures, will bring peace to our world. This is our challenge and this was the reason for our journey, which was not a trip, but rather a pilgrimage.

You have spoken about the importance of the place in itself, of Jerusalem, and also of the global message one should spread. You, Pope Francis and Omar Abboud you are not originally from the Holy Land, nor are you living there. What do you think that the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, which has more than 30,000 members around the world, can do in those places where it is located in order to promote encounter and peace?

One could define our pilgrimage as a proclamation for peace sent out from the very place from which Isaiah said: “For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah [instruction, in the NRSV translation] and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Is 2:3) What does the Torah mean? Peace! This verse comes from the middle of a description of a reality of peace in which one people will not lift up sword against the other, and in which swords will be transformed into plowshares.

We have received this idea, but how can we pragmatise it around the world? Every Christian community and every Jewish community ought to have interreligious programs. The first step for these interreligious programs must be an encounter between Jews and Christians of different denominations, to see and to know each other, and to analyze themes together. Of course there should not be an analysis of very sensitive topics at the very beginning, but instead daily problems should be analyzed from Jewish and Christian points of view, and then studied together, as Pope Francis suggested in Evangelii Gaudium. This should be the beginning: to know each other and to work together in order to solve the problems that affect our common society.

Would you like to conclude by sharing a prayer that you think can be helpful for sustaining peace in the Holy Land?

All our prayers quote different Bible verses. A few passages from the book of Isaiah come to mind. In Isaiah Chapter 2 there is the famous image of a Jerusalem of peace. Peace is what we must ask God for: to bless us (and I mean Jews, Muslims and Christians) in order to help us accept one another with great respect, to see one another as brothers. It is then that we will surely be able to build up a Jerusalem of peace in which all of us will have the possibility to express the best sentiments, ideas and thoughts which are in each one of us.

The other passage in Isaiah, which strikes me  as a tefila, a prayer, is at the end of Chapter 19, where there appears to come a way that connects Egypt and Assyria, and then “Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. God will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.’” (Is 19:24-25) At that time, I understood, I pray, all people will have a deep commitment to worship God and it will be a blessing for the whole world.

The third passage in Isaiah, which is very relevant for me as a prayer, is the one that says “for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Is 56:7). He will bless us, all of us, with greatness to transform all the city of Jerusalem into God’s house. Not because God is living in this house, but in order that each person who comes to Jerusalem, no matter what his or her faith may be, will have the possibility of finding in Jerusalem a real dimension of spirituality. In this way we will really honor the memory of the prophets of Israel, the great masters of Israel, Jesus, and Muhammad.

Interview by Elena Dini

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An appeal to pilgrims and focus given to refugees: a hot summer in the Holy Land

The Holy Land is not merely a geographic location. It is much more than that. It is a place that is very much alive, where you can immerse yourself in the colors and biblical scents of the scriptures, and it is inhabited by various communities, including Christians. In a message issued at the end of July, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land, reported that in recent months, “especially due to the fear generated by the wars in the Middle East, and the attacks committed by fundamentalist groups that have caused bloodshed in Western countries as well, pilgrimages to the Holy Land have undergone a dramatic decline.” In response to this situation Fr. Pizzaballa says wholeheartedly: “Let’s not abandon the Holy Land!” and he gives two valid reasons: the guaranteed security in sanctuaries and in the areas frequented by pilgrims, and the great need that Christians in the Holy Land have for “the presence and support of pilgrims who come here in prayer from all over the world.” A few days after the Custodian spoke these words, Sister Donatella Lessio, an Elizabethan religious sister who has worked for years at the service of the Caritas Baby Hospital in Bethlehem, launched a video appeal entitled “Let us go to that land ... and let’s get involved.” Sister Donatella has also noticed the decline of pilgrims in the Holy Land. To those who do not come because they are afraid she says: “There is nothing to fear! Here, everything is quiet. Here, more than anywhere else, security is not failing. As Christians, we cannot experience fear, for as St. John says: The one that carries fear cannot love.”

Jordan has recently received a visit from Archbishop Nunzio Galantino, Secretary General of the Italian Episcopal Conference, to whom the Holy Father entrusted “a word of hope” for “those who, oppressed by violence, have been forced to flee their homes and their land.” In his letter, Pope Francis remembers the local communities who are committed to helping their brothers in difficulty. To those communities he says: “You proclaim the resurrection of Christ through sharing the sorrow and through giving fraternal help to the hundreds of thousands of refugees; you bow down over the suffering that risks stifling their hope; with your fraternal service you illuminate the dark moments of existence.” The program of the Secretary of the CEI, who was received by Msgr. Maroun Lahham, Patriarchal Vicar in Jordan, included visits to reception centers for refugees and meetings with them, as well as a shared moment of prayer promoted by Caritas Jordan.

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“A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People”

A multimedia exhibition entitled “A mutual blessing: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish people” is open to the public from 29 July to 17 September, 2015, at the Charlemagne Wing in St. Peter’s Square. The exhibition arrived to Rome after touring the U.S.A., in celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the “Nostra Aetate”, the historic declaration on the relationship between the Church and non-Christian Religions. The exhibit was created by Dr. James Buchanan, director of the Brueggeman Center for Dialogue at Xavier University, and Dr. William Madges, professor of theology at St. Joseph’s University.

As can be seen in the exhibition, Saint John Paul II was a Pope who, due to personal experience of encounter and friendship with the Jewish people, was able to make important steps on the path that had already been opened by the conciliar declaration. In addition to the important remembrance of what happened in the past, the exhibition serves as a door open to the future. The title itself recalls St. John Paul II’s ever present invitation: “As Christians and Jews, following the example of the faith of Abraham, we are called to be a blessing to the world. This is the common task awaiting us. It is therefore necessary for us, Christians and Jews, to first be a blessing to one another.”

The exhibit is open free of charge from Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM (Wednesdays from 1 PM to 6 PM).

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Statement of the Conference of Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions (CELRA)

From July 6 to July 9, 2015, Bishops from the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Djibouti and Somalia had the annual meeting of the Conference of Latin Bishops of the Arab Regions whose president is the Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal. Below is the communiqué they released at the end of the meeting.

Our sixty-fifth meeting took place at the Franciscan convent of the Holy Cross in Nicosia (Cyprus), from July 6 to 9, 2015, with the participation of bishops coming from the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, Djibouti and Somalia. We met Christian and Muslim religious leaders at the Maronite Archbishopric and sensed the ecumenical spirit among the various Christian Churches. We went on a pilgrimage to the Tomb of Saint Barnabas, apostle of Cyprus, and we prayed for an improvement in the relations between the Turkish and the Greek parts of the island. We paid a visit to the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Chrysostom II.
After a rich exchange about the pastoral situations in our respective countries, we studied four themes, which were proposed by the program: consecrated life, the future of the Christian community in the Middle East, the family and the Jubilee of Mercy.

1. Consecrated life: The religious congregations, the new communities and the ecclesial movements present in our dioceses carry out much appreciated work, putting their evangelical charisma, composed of prayer, charity and communion, at the service of our Churches. While saluting these communities, which continue to work for peace and reconciliation in areas of conflict, we call on all religious communities to improve fluency in the local languages, enter into the culture of the people they want to serve and lovingly integrate even more fully into the local pastoral plan in order to provide even better service.

2. The future of the Christian community: We, bishops, participate in the sufferings of our people in the areas where great political instability prevails. More than a year has passed since the Gaza war and the fall of Mosul as well as five months since the Arab coalition proclaimed war in Yemen, yet there is no sign or glimmer of hope. Despite the desperate situation of our communities in Syria and Iraq, we insist that our future depends on the quality of our faith. Furthermore, we are confident that interreligious dialogue can help to better coexistence with our Muslim brothers because there are many people of good will, who reject radicalism and intolerance and respect the freedom of conscience and religious pluralism.
Therefore, we reiterate what we wrote in our statement last year:
“No peace without justice as there is no justice without respect for human, social and religious rights. A true peace requires forgiveness and reconciliation. Otherwise, the same factors that produced the conflict will continue to generate more hatred and more wars.”
One cannot kill in the name of God, nor manipulate religion for political or economic interests, as every human being is entitled to respect regardless of his religious or ethnic affiliation or his minority status.

3. In view of the forthcoming Synod on the family to be held in Rome during the month of October, we exchanged ideas about the beauty of the Christian family, willed by God according to the model of the Holy Family of Nazareth. We discussed the various challenges to the family in general, and especially those related to bio-ethics. We need to form couples to be open to life, the gift of God and the fruit of human love. We brought to mind those couples that are separated or in crisis. We expect much fruit from the upcoming Synod and invite our faithful to pray for the Synod Fathers so that the Lord might enlighten them in giving appropriate responses to the challenges and risks run by the institution of the family.

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4. We thank Pope Francis for having established a Year of Mercy in order to preach mercy to the whole world, inviting all urgently to conversion and reconciliation at all levels: individual, family, national and international. We will make a special effort to fully rediscover and enhance the beauty of the sacrament of reconciliation and the practice of corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

 

The bishops of the CELRA

 

Fonte: http://catholicchurch-holyland.com/?p=12036

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New Ruling by Israeli Supreme Court: Green Light to Separation Wall in the Cremisan Valley

Following the publication of our 39^th Newsletter at the beginning of July 2015, in which was reported the Israeli Supreme Court’s resolution in April to oppose the proposed route for a Separation Wall in the Cremisan Valley (p. XVII), after years of litigation, calling upon Israeli military authorities to find alternative routes for the construction of the Wall, we would like to provide you with an update that took place on July 6^th. The Supreme Court has now given the green light to constructing the Wall in the same previously concerned area, with an alteration to the route that will leave a few hundred meters near the Salesian religious houses, and the school attached to them, unaffected. The school will continue, therefore, to be accessible to the town of Beit Jala, and the Wall will be built on agricultural land belonging to Palestinian families in the Cremisan Valley.

Source: Agenzia Fides and www.lpj.org

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 “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old”

Interview with Msgr. Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the
New Evangelization

- Your Excellency, what can be expected in Rome during the Holy Year of Mercy in support of the persecuted Christians in the Middle East?

Pope Francis desired and proclaimed the Jubilee of Mercy so that all might feel close to God's Mercy, especially those who suffer, who are experiencing trials and are in need of consolation. The Pope desires that all people, through gazing at the face of Jesus, will feel loved and comforted. Among those experiencing trials are, without a doubt, Christians in the Middle East, who currently live in persecution and face a daily battle in professing their faith. Particular attention to these Christians and their suffering will not be lacking over the course of The Holy Year.

- How might the Jubilee of Mercy be lived in a concrete way? For example, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, is there a particular “way” that you would suggest?

The Holy Father and the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization have provided, and will continue to provide, guidelines for celebrating the Jubilee all over the world. Various local groups will then take these common guidelines and apply them to their contexts. The same will be true in the Holy Land, where I am sure that the Custodian of the Holy Land, together with bishops and other leadership, which I think will include the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, will find the best way to celebrate the Holy Year in Jesus’ Land.

- In support of the “culture of encounter” that Pope Francis has promoted, will you organize any interreligious events, particularly with Muslim representatives?

The Year of Mercy will also ensure special attention to ecumenism. In fact on January 25^th there will be a celebration at St. Paul Outside the Walls. Furthermore, special attention will be given to interreligious dialogue in line with Pope Francis’ message in Misericordiae vultus: “There is an aspect of mercy that goes beyond the confines of the Church. It relates us to Judaism and Islam, both of which consider mercy to be one of God’s most important attributes. Israel was the first to receive this revelation which continues in history as the source of an inexhaustible  richness meant to be shared with all mankind. As we have seen, the pages of the Old Testament are steeped in mercy, because they narrate the works that the Lord performed in favour of his people at the most trying moments of their history. Among the privileged names that Islam attributes to the Creator are ‘Merciful and Kind’” (n. 23).

- In your opinion, in what way can the 30,000 members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre around the world participate in and contribute to this Jubilee? What appeal is addressed to them?

As an appeal to the members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, I would like to use Pope Francis’ words at the conclusion of Misericordiae vultus, which are addressed to the whole Church: “In this Jubilee Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: ‘Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old’” (Ps 25:6).

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The Joy of the Holy Land and a Renewed Call to Sanctity

The Canonizations of Mariam Baouardy and Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas

St. Peter's Square was filled with many languages and colors on Sunday, including the colors of the Palestinian flag. The joy of the crowd, and in particular of the 3,000 pilgrims who came directly from the Holy Land, was tangible. Four saints were canonized, two of whom were Mariam Baouardy and Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, daughters of the Holy Land and the first two Palestinian saints. Founders of the the Discalced Carmelites of Bethlehem and of the Congregation of the Rosary Sisters, the two saints lived their call to holiness from the second half of the 19th century (Mariam Baouardy died while she was very young in 1878) until the beginning of the 20th century (Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas died in 1927).

Also present in the square was President Mahmoud Abbas, who had met with Pope Francis the previous day. During their meeting, as reported by an official, “great satisfaction was expresed regarding the agreement reached with regard to the text for an Accord between the Parties, about certain essential aspects of the life and activities of the Catholic Church in Palestine. The Accord will be signed in the near future.”

During his homily, the Holy Father wanted first and foremost to draw inspiration from the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, in which the Church elects the one appointed by God to take Judas’ place among the Apostles. The importance of witness is at the heart of the Christian experience, and the saints show us the way: “We too, today, base our faith in the risen Lord on the witness of the Apostles, which has come down to us through the mission of the Church. Our faith is firmly linked to their testimony, as to an unbroken chain which spans the centuries, made up not only by the successors of the Apostles, but also by succeeding generations of Christians.”

Speaking about the saints, Pope Francis recalled Mariam Baouardy’s “docility to the Holy Spirit”, which “made her a means of encounter and fellowship with the Muslim world.” He went on to say that Marie Alphonsine Danil Ghattas “understood clearly what it means to radiate the love of God in the apostolate, and to be a witness to meekness and unity. She shows us the importance of becoming responsible for one another, of living lives of service one to another.”

Pope Francis concluded his homily by calling each one of us into question on this day of celebration: “Their luminous example [that of the four saints] challenges us in our lives as Christians: How do I bear witness to the risen Christ? This is a question that we must ask ourselves. How do I abide in Him? How do I remain in His love? Am I capable of “sowing” in my family, in my workplace and in my community, the seed of that unity which He has bestowed upon us by giving us a share in the life of the Trinity?”

What does it mean today, therefore, to be children of the Holy Land, and what spiritual fruit can this happy event bring forth to Palestinian Christians and the whole Christian community?

On Saturday, May 16^th, an event held at the Basilica of St. Sabina seems to give an answer to this question. People had been gathered since 4 p.m. at the church, for a prayer vigil that was packed with people in celebration. With one hand the faithful waved the Vatican flag, and with the other they waved that of Palestine. The delegation led by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, included Melkite and Maronite Christians who were not only from the Patriarchate’s territory, but also from Lebanon, the Gulf countries and other parts of the Middle East.

Archbishop Maroun Lahham, Patriarchal Vicar to Jordan of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, before entering the prayer vigil, said in all earnestness: “These two saints teach us that the last word is never suffering, it is never  abandonment, it is not the cross but instead the glory, the resurrection and the light. Calvary is not the last word but the gateway to a better life.” He continued, speaking about the fruit that is brought forth by these two saints today: “Young people will be inspired and they will see that there is hope for the Holy Land.”

Sister Rita Tavitian, a young Rosary Sister, said that “Mariam Baouardy should have been canonized earlier on, but it is no coincidence that her canonization will take place tomorrow with that of Marie Alphonsine Ghattas. Both of them have an important message of peace for the world. They tell us that each one of us can become a saint: that is our vocation.” On a personal level, Sister Rita felt ever so strongly that it was no coincidence that the canonizations of these two holy Palestinians occurred on the same day. Her own sister is a Carmelite and she too was present in Rome for the happy event.For the two sisters, it was an opportunity to see each other again for the first time in four years.

Also present in the crowd were those who distributed flags and liturgy booklets. Among them is Ibrahim, who looks very young but is already a doctor living and working near Ramallah. He shares that he is “proud that there are two saints coming from Jesus’ land, and that this is a message for the whole world: our land is still alive.” When I ask him what the future has in store for him, he replies: “I’m studying German because I want to specialize in my work, but I want to continue to work for my people and to help them.”

In the Church there are also Italian and French people who, for various reasons, are linked to the figures of these two saints. Among them are members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, an Order that was created to support the Holy Land, which welcomes the two new saints and friends of the Holy Land. Sitting in one pew is Giovanni, a doctor who works in the province of Syracuse. He was present on Saturday for the prayer vigil because, though indirectly, he too was “touched” by St. Mariam Baouardy’s story. In fact, John was a doctor in the hospital where a baby was miraculously cured through the intercession of Mariam of Jesus Crucified (the name which Mariam took upon entering the Carmelites).

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What is the Message of the First Two Modern Palestinian Saints?

Interview with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal

Your Beatitude, you will be in Rome on May 17^th for the canonization of two Palestinian nuns, and you have invited the President of the Palestinian State to come with you. What does this event of the universal Church represent for the inhabitants of the Holy Land in this moment of history?

The canonization of these two Palestinian saints is a spiritual highpoint for the inhabitants of the Holy Land. In the midst of all our difficulties, Mariam and Marie-Alphonsine are a light on our path, an invitation not to be discouraged and to keep our eyes fixed on our goal and our shared vocation as Christians: holiness. If today the Holy Land, so torn by violence and divisions, sometimes seems disfigured, our two saints come to restore its sanctity. It is as if Mariam and Marie-Alphonsine, by their example, were saying to us, “Yes, the Holy Land can be fruitful, and it can bear fruits of holiness.” Holiness is still possible, even in an extremely difficult context.

Mariam and Marie-Alphonsine did not experience the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in their life on earth, but they also lived in troubled times and in extreme poverty. Mariam, who did not receive education, was actually illiterate. Yet, both of them, in perseverance, patience, and humility, loved God and their brethren, through charity and sacrifice, to the point of becoming saints.

What is the great message of these two new saints, Mariam Bawardi and Marie-Alphonsine—to whom you have just devoted a pastoral letter—, for today’s world?

It is a message of hope and love, a message of encouragement to holiness through humility and simplicity. Mariam referred to herself as “the little nothing” of Jesus Crucified. Marie-Alphonsine also lived in the greatest humility and was sometimes persecuted, while the sisters who lived with her ignored until the end that she was the foundress of her community, the Rosary Sisters of Jerusalem.

The message of both is that we should live in God's presence, relying on Him for everything, with full confidence, in the midst of even the greatest difficulties. Marie Alphonsine, like Mariam, received everything from God. The Blessed Virgin showed her the plans of the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in Jerusalem. Likewise, the Holy Spirit showed Mariam where to found the Carmel of Bethlehem. Both listened to God in the smallest details of their lives. So, I would say that their great message is that holiness is accessible to all, holiness as a loving and intimate relationship with God.

Now, the fact that Mariam and Marie-Alphonsine, the first modern Palestinian saints, are both Arabs is a sign of hope for Palestine, for the entire Holy Land and the Middle East: holiness is always possible, even in a war-torn region. May a generation of saints follow them!

What do you expect from the meeting with Pope Francis, and, more largely, what is the pilgrimage program of the delegation that you will lead on this occasion?

The meeting with the Holy Father, in the extraordinary context of these canonizations, will be a time of great joy for us. I am sure that it will rekindle the hope of our faithful in the Middle East and encourage them to remain firm in the faith and keep their eyes fixed on heaven, especially in these difficult times that Christians are experiencing there. Mariam and Marie-Alphonsine are a consolation from Heaven. We have seen this year that Pope Francis constantly looks towards our region. He has repeatedly deplored the unprecedented atrocities against Christians and minorities in the Middle East, expressing his deep concern, and multiplied the initiatives: the meeting, in the Vatican, with the apostolic nuncios to Egypt, the Holy Land, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, from 2 to 4 October 2014; the Ordinary Consistory on the Middle East, on 20 October 2014; the Letter to the Christians of the Middle East, for Christmas, etc.

Marie-Alphonsine and Mariam are both daughters of the Christian East, and I believe that their canonization in this searing context is also a call from the Pope to prayer, which alone can miraculously help our region to recover. We now have two new saints to intercede for Peace. Their search for wisdom and their divine message represent a model of perfection for Christians as well as for Jews and Muslims. Both have Mary, Miriam, as their first name; and this name, common to our three traditions, is also a sign for our time, indicating that they can speak to all three without distinction.

 

Interview by François Vayne

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“We want to build bridges in the Holy Land”

“The Irish Catholic” recently published an article-interview with the Grand Master of the Order, Cardinal Edwin O’Brien by Mary O’Donnell. Here you can find an extract of that article.

Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, knows first-hand the suffering, poverty and injustices experienced by the diminishing Christian community in the Middle East. Since appointed by Pope Benedict XVI three years ago to lead the order in the support and protection of Christians in the Holy Land, the 75-year-old American has witnessed the strong faith of those suffering persecution in the land where Jesus walked.

Highlighting the very important role of prayer, the cardinal referred to the example of Pope Francis during his visit to the Holy Land and his invitation to the Palestinian and Israeli Presidents, Mahmoud Abbas and Shimon Peres, to join him at the Vatican “in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace”. The persecution in the land of Christianity’s origin has reduced the number of Christians to around 160,000 – almost one-tenth the numbers of 60 years ago. […]

As Grand Master, Cardinal O’Brien explained that his role was to ensure the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem had what he needed to support the 45 schools, two universities, 60 parishes and many social welfare centres in the Patriarchate.

“Our presence there shows our desire to build bridges not walls in the Holy Land,” he said, adding: “It is very important that the Church remains there and that we help encourage Christians to stay through finding work for them and employing them.” Describing it as “a very hard life”, he remarked: “We have to identify with them and let them know we support them, and our 30,000 members do that through programmes of education and through generous donations.” […]

The solution to the conflict in the Holy Land “is not a short term one”, Cardinal O’Brien said, adding: “Hearts have to change. Christ needs to be at the core of everything, bringing people of all faiths together again.”

The University of Bethlehem, which was established in 1973 at the request of Pope Paul VI and managed by the De La Salle Brothers, provides courses for students of all faiths, with over half being Muslim. “While they are Muslim, they are very respectful of our faith,” said Cardinal O’Brien, adding that many of them go into public service and work for the Palestinian government. In considering the contribution of this building of respect towards a peaceful future, he believes that it “far outweighs the virtues of what any other powerful institution is doing”.

The full article may be read at http://irishcatholic.ie/article/we-must-speak-persecuted-christians

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Patriarch Twal’s letter for the canonization of the two Palestinian nuns

On the occasion of the canonization of Blessed Marie-Alphonsine and Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified, which will take place on May 17, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote a pastoral letter to all the faithful in the diocese and the entire world that you may read in its integral version on the website of the Latin Patriarchate.

http://en.lpj.org/2015/03/23/patriarchs-letter-for-the-canonization-of-the-two-palestinian-nuns/

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A New Commission for the American University of Madaba (Jordan)

Official Communication

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal gladly accepted the initiative of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, that established an ad hoc Commission, in order to assure the optimum development of the American University of Madaba-Jordan and its full contribution to society in the coming years.

The Commission will have full autonomy to accomplish its tasks and in respect of the Jordanian laws. It will work in full collaboration with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the promoter of the project and owner of the university, and will be reporting directly to the Secretary of State.

Professor Agostino Borromeo, Governor General of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, has been invited to form this Commission and to coordinate its work. The Commission formally received its mandate from the Secretary of State, started its work in November 2014, and visited Jordan on December 16-19, 2014.

The Commission has identified its work in these three main areas:

• the financial stability, viability and probity of the University,

• the governance and administrative structures of the University,

• the academic planning of the University.

To accomplish these, the Commission created a local Committee of Administration, presided by Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan, to monitor and coordinate the work of the University until July 2015, in which time, a permanent set of arrangements will be in place. Further planning will also be taking place to ensure the academic development of the University.

Jerusalem, January 15, 2015

Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

 

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Patriarch of Jerusalem and Grand Prior of the Order Mgr. Fouad Twal makes an urgent appeal to dioceses around the world

Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, hosted a reception on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady Queen of Palestine, the Patroness of the Order, which took place on 22 October in Rome. On that occasion, Mgr. Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, had the opportunity to share some thoughts on the situation in the Holy Land and, in particular, on the Christian community.

Speaking with Anaïs Feuga from French Radio and Romilda Ferrauto from Vatican Radio, the Patriarch recounted the proposal that was put forward during the Consistory on the Middle East, called by Pope Francis on 20 October, which saw the first time participation of the Patriarchs.

On this occasion, Mgr. Twal invited dioceses around the world to support the Christian presence in the Holy Land by helping young couples to buy homes in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

For further details the interview is available in French.

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The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, Patroness of the Order

His Eminence Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, has pleasure in hosting a Reception on 22 October on the occasion of the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, Patroness of the Order.

In all Lieutenancies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine is, in fact, celebrated with joy around 25 October – the exact date of the liturgical memorial.

It was the Patriarch Luigi Barlassina (1920-1947), on the occasion of the solemn entrance into the Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on 15 July 1920, and the consecration of the diocese to Mary, who invoked the title of "Queen of Palestine” for the first time.

This name clearly has never had any political connotations, as the entire region - at that time under the British Mandate - was called Palestine. The desire of Monsignor Luigi Barlassina was to put under the maternal protection of Mary the land that saw her birth, and which at that moment, at the end of the First World War, was experiencing an extremely difficult historical period as it had been the subject of a dispute between the Ottoman Empire and Great Britain.

In 1927, at Deir Rafat, a town between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv where there was already a Christian community, Monsignor Luigi Barlassina had the idea of erecting a shrine in honour of Our Lady Queen of Palestine, and in 1933 the title of "Queen of Palestine” was officially recognized by the Congregation of Rites.

The special relationship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the pontificate of John Paul II. In 1983, 50 years after the institution of the Feast, St. John Paul II - addressing the Knights and Dames of the Lieutenancies of Northern and Central Italy - urged them to be witnesses of Christ in everyday life and to continue the work of the Order in the Holy Land under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ten years later, in 1993, the then Grand Master of the Order, Cardinal Giuseppe Caprio, asked St. John Paul II to declare the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine, to be the Patroness of the Order. The Holy Father replied on 21 January 1994 by a decree granting the request.

Today the Little Sisters of Bethlehem serve in the sanctuary, carrying out a project of prayer, care and support for young people in difficulty. Each year the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Palestine is celebrated at Deir Rafat  by pilgrims from all over the diocese and beyond. In 2012, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land together decided to officially open the Year of Faith at the Shrine of Deir Rafat on the occasion of this Feast.

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Spring meeting of the Grand Magisterium

The spring meeting of the Grand Magisterium of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem began with participation at Mass celebrated in the church of Santa Maria in the Via Lata, "the Lenten station" of 8 April. The day providentially coincided with the 75th anniversary of the Grand Master, Cardinal Edwin O'Brien. The members of the Grand Magisterium, on this occasion, were able to participate with other pilgrims in an ancient tradition which consists of venerating the memory of the martyrs with a Mass celebrated daily in a different church.

The meeting was then held in a large hall of the Pontifical Council for Culture, focusing on the financial management of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as scheduled projects supported by the Order in the Holy Land for 2014.

In his introduction, the Grand Master stressed the need for an intensification of the spiritual life of the Knights and Dames, encouraging the Grand Priors to assume fully their roles in the Lieutenancies in this respect. "Let us not be overwhelmed with administrative matters, our goal is spiritual" he repeated, referring to his many trips undertaken to highlight this dimension of commitment in the Order, which will be reaffirmed in the new statutes.

After thanking the members of the Grand Magisterium who had completed their terms, and welcoming those who were called to replace them (see the article in our Newsletter 34 on Appointments), the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, described the current tense situation in the Holy Land, rejoicing nevertheless at the audience granted by the Pope, on the previous day, to the King of Jordan, the protector of the Christian minority, in the context of the preparation of the forthcoming Papal visit. The Financial Statement of the Patriarchy showed no deficit in terms of management institutions, parishes, schools and seminars, due to the exceptionally high contributions of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, in particular against the contingency fund for teachers "in the name of respect for workers' rights” the Governor General, Agostino Borromeo, specified. However, the deficit remains very disquieting with regard to the new American University of Madaba (AUM), which opened last May. Solutions will be considered as part of a Commission in which the Order may participate, although it has no obligation or liability in this worthy initiative of Patriarch Twal.

As regards the accounts of the Grand Magisterium, it appears that even though the resources have decreased slightly over the year, more than 10 million euros have nonetheless been sent to the Holy Land in 2013. Financial reserves have helped to honour commitments. The discussion continued around specific projects of the Order in 2014, presented by Thomas McKiernan the new President of the Commission for the Holy Land, returning from a field trip. "Of all the projects we support - schools, parishes, convents - we can be especially proud of the school in Rameh, the daycare centre in Bir Zeit, and the Aqaba church" said the Chairman of the Commission, by way of summary.

In his speech the Chancellor Ivan Rebernick particularly highlighted the importance of communication in the Order, to keep members abreast of projects by means of the Annals, the Newsletter and the website of the Grand Magisterium, of which there will be a review of the headings for easier reading. Finally, announcing the definitive version of the new statutes, Bishop Robert Stern, the rapporteur of the committee, which had already met four times, recalled that "good rules are liberating and invigorating". The final text highlighting collegiality and subsidiarity should be submitted soon for the validation of the Grand Master, and subsequently for the Pope's approval.