On Friday, April 29, the Pope confirmed the election by the General Definitory of the Order of Friars Minor of Brother Francesco Patton as Custos of the Holy Land and Guardian of Mount Zion for the next three years. In Jerusalem, the announcement was made in the refectory of St. Savior's Convent by Br. Julio César Bunader, president of the Chapter of the Custody of the Holy Land. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "These three years are in fact a request to bring to completion a service carried out over the past six years and which still sees some things to be completed. I interpret my service first and foremost as a service to the friars. I am a friar and my first task as Custos is to take care of the life and vocation of the friars of the Custody". The Custos of the Holy Land, Guardian of Mount Zion and the Holy Sepulcher, is the Minister Provincial, i.e., the superior, of the Friars Minor who live throughout the Middle East. In addition to leading the Custody - considered the pearl of the Order of Friars Minor - is also a member of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, which brings together all the Catholic bishops and vicars of the Latin and Eastern Rite. The presence of the Franciscans in the Holy Land has been attested since the thirteenth century. Since then they have been entrusted with the task of guarding most of the Places of the Incarnation of Jesus. The Franciscans of the Custody take care of the reception of pilgrims in the Sanctuaries, but also of the small flock of local Christians. The Custody is also an interlocutor for the other Christian Churches, regarding the places regulated by the Status Quo. The territory of the Custody includes several countries: Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus and Rhodes and Egypt - with the Muski Convent in Cairo. Br. Francesco Patton was born in Vigo Meano, diocese of Trento, on December 23, 1963, and belongs to the Province of St. Anthony of the Friars Minor in Italy. On June 6, 2016, with his official entry into Jerusalem, he became the 168th Custos of the Holy Land. In keeping with a centuries-old tradition, the entrance took place through the Jaffa Gate, the place from which pilgrims and visitors historically accessed the Holy City. After the prayer in St. Savior's Church, the affectionate greeting with the outgoing Custos, Brother Pierbattista Pizzaballa, today Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins. "I feel trepidation in my heart because I realize that I am a novice in this reality and I also realize the complexity and delicacy of the task I am asked to perform. I also feel a deep trust because I firmly believe that the Lord is our keeper!" In one of the first interviews, Br. Patton expressed his feelings as the new Custos in this way: Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "I would say that the trepidation has eased a bit and the confidence has grown. From my point of view, the first month of experience in the Holy Land was very positive, both in the first meeting with the friars and the fraternities and also in the first encounter with the local realities." After six years, on this special day, Br. Patton speaks about the challenges of the coming years: Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "There are so many things that we have started in the course of these six years. And in the course of these six years we have been able to conclude important things that were started earlier by my predecessor. I think, the most significant thing, was right at the beginning to have been able once again to do together with the Greek and Armenian Church the restoration of the Wayside Shrine of the Holy Sepulchre and this was something that was started before." Peace remains the great challenge for the entire Holy Land and the Middle East. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "When I arrived, the war in Syria had already been going on for four to five years. Now, after six years, so eleven years of war, the war in Syria still continues. So certainly one of the biggest challenges is the challenge of peace, the challenge of dialogue, a dialogue that is increasingly necessary." A dialogue that cannot but see Christians and the Church of the Holy Land at the forefront. Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "We are here because the Church has given us the mandate to guard the Holy Places and the Holy Places are for us places of life and places of prayer. We are here I could also say on behalf of all humanity, because we are an international fraternity, so we are here to pray for all humanity." Read More