Holy Land Archives

Christian leaders in Jerusalem express concern over growing violence

May 10, 2021

The patriarchs and heads of Christian churches of Jerusalem expressed deep concern over the growing violence in Jerusalem, which increased with 331 Palestinians reportedly wounded at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during clashes with Israeli police May 10.

By Catholic News Service

In tense Jerusalem, flag-waving Israeli march to go ahead

May 9, 2021

Police on Sunday gave the go-ahead to the annual Jerusalem Day parade, a flag-waving display of Israeli claims to all of the contested city, despite days of unrest and soaring Israeli-Palestinian tensions at a flashpoint holy site.

By Ilan Ben Zion

Cardinal sees Holy Land pilgrimages as time for prayer and relationships

May 2, 2021

The grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem really hopes that the improving COVID-19 situation will finally allow him to make his first official pilgrimage to the Holy Land as head of the benevolent order.

By Cindy Wooden

‘We are all brothers,’ Franciscan in Jericho says of iftar gifts

Apr 28, 2021

As his Muslim neighbors and fellow Jericho residents make their way home for the iftar, which breaks the daily fast throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Franciscan Father Mario Hadchiti hands out small bags of dates and water to passersby in front of the Franciscan Good Shepherd Church.

By Judith Sudilovsky

In Jaffa, gentrification stokes discord as Arabs pushed out

Apr 28, 2021

Jaffa, the historic port at the core of the greater Tel Aviv metropolis, is home to around 20,000 Arab residents, remnants of the Palestinian population that lived there before Israel’s establishment in 1948. The district has undergone extensive gentrification in recent decades with government encouragement.

By Ilan Ben Zion

Christians mark Good Friday as holy sites gradually reopen

Apr 2, 2021

Christians in the Holy Land are marking Good Friday this year amid signs the coronavirus crisis is winding down, with religious sites open to limited numbers of faithful but none of the mass pilgrimages usually seen in the Holy Week leading up to Easter.

By Joseph Krauss

In silent Church of the Beatitudes, Franciscan nuns expand their prayers

Mar 29, 2021

The palm tree fronds in the convent garden of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary rustle loudly in the brisk wind of an early spring dust storm, but, stepping into the chapel of the Church of the Beatitudes, there is silence.

By Judith Sudilovsky

Holy Land Franciscans concerned about Good Friday collection

Mar 24, 2021

During this year of COVID-19 lockdowns and lack of international pilgrimages, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land has had to adjust its funding priorities and trim its budgeting, and difficult though that has been, Father Ramzi Sidawi fears the worst is still to come.

By Judith Sudilovsky