VATICAN CITY — As Catholics commemorate Jesus' passion on Good
Friday, the Vatican is asking them to support the church in the Holy Land with
their prayers, financial contributions and possibly by making a pilgrimage.
The global Holy Land Collection is taken up in most dioceses
around the world on Good Friday, which is April 14 this year.
The sites of Jesus' birth and of His death and resurrection have
been undergoing restoration work. The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land
announced in late March that the Vatican had pledged a further $1 million for
the second phases of projects at the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
The first phase of the work in Jerusalem, which repaired damage
and reinforced the Edicule of the Tomb, believed to be where Jesus was laid to
rest after His crucifixion, was to be inaugurated March 22 during an ecumenical
prayer service.
The hoped-for second phase of the project would seek to resolve
problems due to moisture under the floor around the Edicule. Work cannot begin,
however, until details of the project are agreed upon by the Catholic, Greek
Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox communities that share responsibility for the
church.
The work in Bethlehem has restored Crusader-era mosaics and
brought to light some that had been plastered over; the next phase — again
pending ecumenical agreement — would include work on the church columns, floor
mosaics and the grotto, which is marked as the birthplace of Jesus.
Releasing material about the annual Good Friday collection, the
Vatican noted that the presence of Christianity in the Holy Land is not limited
to historical sites and places of pilgrimage. "A Christian community has
remained in the region down through the centuries, even at the cost of great
sacrifice and martyrdom."
The collection ensures not only that the buildings remain accessible,
but that local Christians are able to stay in their homeland.
Funds gathered support young families, parishes, seminaries,
schools, hospitals and clinics, refugees and small businesses.
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern
Churches, which coordinates the collection, also noted that pilgrimages are an
essential support for the church in the Holy Land.
"A journey to the sacred places in the footsteps of Christ
can not only lead the pilgrim to a revival of his faith and a rediscovery of
his origins, but it can also serve as a powerful instrument in the new
evangelization," the cardinal said in a statement released March 18 by the
Vatican.
Additionally, he said, "pilgrimages are an essential
resource for the Christian population of the Holy Land. In fact, according to
recent statistics, at least 30 percent of the local community in Jerusalem and
in Bethlehem live and work thanks to the presence of pilgrims."
According to Cardinal Sandri's office, the Holy Land Collection
in 2015-16 brought in more than $7.2 million. The largest recipient of funds is
the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, which staffs most of the historic
Christian sites in the region, in addition to running parishes, schools and
other programs. Money also is given to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and
the Melkite, Coptic, Maronite, Syrian, Chaldean and Armenian Catholic dioceses
in the region.