Washington D.C., May 13, 2021 / 09:01 am America/Denver (CNA). The U.S. bishops’ conference offered prayers for peace in the Holy Land on Thursday, as conflict between Israel and Hamas flared up this week. “We are greatly saddened that simmering tensions erupted into violence in the Holy Land this week,” …

CNA Staff, Mar 31, 2021 / 10:20 pm MT (CNA).- Christians will celebrate Easter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this year after the storied church remained closed last Easter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over Palm Sunday Mass on March …

CNA Staff, Feb 8, 2021 / 03:46 pm MT (CNA).- Several Catholic groups have opened on-line registration for a free virtual pilgrimage, where pilgrims may experience the culture and prayer of the Holy Land for over 40 days. It is titled the “Pilgrimage In Faith: A Virtual Lenten Journey Through …

CNA Staff, Dec 4, 2020 / 12:01 pm MT (CNA).- The Catholic leaders of the Holy Land are demanding an investigation into an attempted arson attack at a basilica located near the Garden of Gethsemane. The Basilica of the Agony, located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem next to …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Oct 28, 2020 / 09:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis on Wednesday bestowed the pallium on the newly appointed Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. The pope gave the pallium to Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa Oct. 28 during morning Mass in the chapel of the Vatican’s Santa Marta …

CNA Staff, May 23, 2020 / 02:04 pm MT (CNA).- The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is reopening this weekend, after being closed in late March due to the coronavirus pandemic. A statement from the Custodians of the Holy Sepulchre announced that the site would be open to …

CNA Staff, Apr 6, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- Unable to lead the traditional Palm Sunday procession through Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, blessed the city with a relic of the True Cross on April 5. The annual procession, which recalls Christ’s …

CNA Staff, Mar 30, 2020 / 02:30 pm (CNA).- The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed last week and has no definite timeline for reopening. This is the first time in nearly 700 years the holy site has closed for an extended period due to disease. The church building, …

By Andrea Gagliarducci Jerusalem, Mar 20, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- As Easter is approaching, the Holy Land is enduring tough times: the sacred sites are shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, and pilgrimages have come to an end. These events “meaningfully impact our religious communities, especially for the …

The Holy Land, often referred to as the fifth Gospel, offers the Catholic pilgrim an unparalleled spiritual opportunity. Spend five nights in Jerusalem visiting Bethlehem, the Baptismal site at the Jordan River, the Judean hills of the Visitation, and trace Jesus’ steps through all the events of the Holy Week. …