This Monday, March 14, the Christian Guardian Communities of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher met at 10 a.m. for a ceremony to launch the project to preserve the basilica's floor.
Present along with Br. Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, were the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III and the Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate Sevan Gharibian, who entrusted the Custody of the Holy Land with the task of taking charge of the important interventions. In addition to them, the Apostolic Delegate for Jerusalem, H.E. Mgr. Adolfo Tito Yllana, and Brother Dobromir Jasztal, Custodial Vicar, were also present.
The first part took place in front of the Wayside Shrine of the Holy Sepulchre with a prayer and a speech by each of them.
Following this, representatives of the three communities and the entities involved moved to the corridor in front of the Franciscan Sacristy - where the work will begin - for the lifting of the first stone.
The event was attended by representatives of the entities that are carrying out the restoration project: the University "La Sapienza" of Rome, the Center for Conservation and Restoration "La Venaria Reale", the Polytechnic of Milan, the company Manens of Padua and the company IG Ingegneria Geotecnica of Turin.
HB TEOFILO III
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
"We have been waiting for this moment. This is a great blessing for us that we have already, as you know, finished the restoration work on the Edicule, the Holy Tomb of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was imperative to complete the restoration works because this would restore the beauty, the holiness and sanctity of the Holy Sepulcher".
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"Today I would say that it is a blessed day, because we have been able together, after this long study and also after the hardships following the pandemic, to begin the second phase of the work. Therefore, to have begun is a reason for great joy. I would say that for me it is also a reason of great joy to have been able to prepare this second intervention together, with an ecumenical approach and a truly fraternal feeling".
SAMUEL AGHOYAN
Armenian Superior of the Holy Sepulcher
"It is a very important work, not only for ourselves but also for God because we want the Temple of God to be presentable, clean, good, to give glory to God. And we spiritually will be happy to have done something good for God and for our faithful. I am happy, the whole community of Jerusalem is happy that we finally decided to start the work and we hope, we pray that nothing will go wrong with the renovation and that everything will be done properly, on time and in a constructive way".
Thanks to the design of all the stones of the floor it will be possible to remove and put back the slabs in the same place in a period estimated to be around 26 months. For Brother Dobromir Jasztal, this is undoubtedly a historic moment in the life of this place and in the relations between the communities that are present in the Basilica and in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
Br DOBROMIR JASZTAL, ofm
Vicar - Custody of the Holy Land
"The project that we have begun today with this simple ceremony was started three years ago following the restoration of the wayside shrine. The three communities have decided to carry out this restoration of the floor, and rightly so, since it is a project of historical, ecumenical and, I would say, ecclesial significance. It is undoubtedly a historic moment in the history of this place and also in the history, I would say, of community relations that are present here in the Basilica and in the Holy City of Jerusalem".
Every day hundreds of pilgrims visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; with this initiative the faithful will be able to continue their visit to the basilica, the most special place for the Christian world, without obstacles.
Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm
Custos of the Holy Land
"And I believe that in such a difficult moment as the one the world is experiencing, it is also a sign. And we would also raise from the works an incessant prayer from this place for the end of the pandemic and even more I would say for peace and for the cessation of the war that is in Ukraine but also for the cessation of all the forgotten wars and that there are in the world".
The Christmas Message of the Custos of the Holy Land, Brother Francesco Patton; the prayer for peace in Rome; the new book on the history of the origins of Christianity and finally the Jewish feast of Hannukah.
On 11 December, Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome was lit with candles of Faith and Hope during a prayer dedicated to world peace. The prayer was presided over by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, together with the Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, Brother Ibrahim Faltas.
On 13 December, Dar Al-Kalima University, in cooperation with the Pontifical Mission, organised a conference at the Dar Al-Kalima University Theatre in Bethlehem to present the book ‘Palestine, Cradle of Christianity: An Introduction to the History of the Origins of Christianity from the First to the Seventh Century’.
