• Parishes across the world year after year take up the traditional annual Good Friday Collection for the Church in the Holy Land.

    This year is no different and the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, has written a letter to all pastors of the Universal Church in which he expresses the gratitude of Pope Francis, of his Dicastery and of all the Churches “in the land of Christ” for their attention and generous response to the Collection.  

    The proceeds from the Good Friday Collection go to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

    The Franciscans have been caring for the holy sites there since 1209. They also assist the poor, run schools, provide scholarships, and conduct pastoral ministries to keep Christianity alive in the land where it originated.

    The Collection is still today the principal source which sustains the life and works of the region’s Christians. It helps Christians of many denominations remain in the region as living witnesses to Christ.

    In his appeal to Catholics to donate generously this Good Friday, Cardinal Sandri noted that  “there are millions of refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq, where the roar of arms does not cease and the way of dialogue and concord seems completely lost”.

    This year – he continued – “presents a still more precious opportunity to become pilgrims of faith after the example of the Holy Father, who in May last year visited this patch of land, so dear to Christians, Jews and Muslims alike. It is a chance to become promoters of dialogue through peace, prayer and sharing of burdens”. 

    Source:  Vatican Radio