Custos of the Holy Land: “Return as pilgrims to the Holy Land”

“Fear is not overcome with words; it is overcome with witness. Seeing Christians from all over the world come to the Holy Land to visit the holy places generates hope and strengthens the reason for coming here—not to see a museum, but to encounter a living Church,” said Father Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, on January 7, the day after the end of the Jubilee year dedicated to theme of hope.

He was speaking to a group of pilgrims from Rome at the Franciscan headquarters in the Old City of Jerusalem. Nearly thirty priests, diocesan officials, jouranlists and communicators, led by the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (an office of the Vicariate of Rome), came to the holy city to describe how pilgrimages have changed since October 7, 2023, and why it is more necessary than ever to visit the Holy Land

“What can we do to help this land and these peoples?” is the question most frequently addressed to Father Ielpo in the last months. After prayer, says the Custos of the Holy Land, the most helpful thing would be to “return as pilgrims to this land.”

Pilgrimages, in fact, are “one of the principal sources of economic support, primarily—but not only—for the local Christian community,” he explained. Christians number about 50 thousand people in Israel and Palestine, around 6000 of whom live in Jerusalem. Without this economic lifeline, the concrete risk is the progressive depopulation of the Holy Land.

“We are witnessing a migratory flow of entire families, not only Christian but also Jewish,” Father Ielpo stressed. Pilgrimages, moreover, can be a source of hope and give rise to positive initiatives.