In the words of H.E. Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti , prefect of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, the remembrance of the 50th anniversary of Pope St. Paul VI's Apostolic Exhortation "Nobis in Animo". His letter addressed to bishops around the world is an appeal for help for the Christians of the Holy Land through the Good Friday Collection. Along with it, Pope Francis' appeal for peace, and how the Church is still facing the great challenge of helping Christians in the Holy Land. HE CARDINALE CLAUDIO GUGEROTTI Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches You see, this is a very ancient issue. Even in the New Testament we have a mention of Paul asking for an offering to be made for Jerusalem because this is a land that has been subjected to great political difficulties over the centuries. Here, Paul VI organizes in a systematic way what was already the attitude of the popes, even in previous centuries, to help the Holy Land. Cardinal Gugerotti also recalls the founding of the Custody of the Holy Land. HE CARDINALE CLAUDIO GUGEROTTI Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches And one of the most important initiatives was the creation of the Custody of the Holy Land, by the Franciscan fathers, that is, the custos of the holy places. We have so many descriptions of pilgrimages since the very first centuries of the Christian era. Now to this we add the dramatic situation of the times in which we live and in which the situation seems to be polarized. The attention of the Church to the Holy Land and the attention to a particular jewel that is the place where Jesus was born and lived, died and rose again. Also in his letter addressed to the bishops, H.E. Gugerotti highlighted an essential point about the importance of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. HE CARDINALE CLAUDIO GUGEROTTI Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches That of pilgrimage is certainly one of the oldest forms of religiosity, and not only in Christianity. Think that even in Islam, one of the five pillars of religion is precisely pilgrimage. We have beautiful psalms about the ascent to Jerusalem. This is the value of pilgrimage. What's more, we must also add a detail: pilgrimage is a source of survival for the few Christians who are there in some areas, because with their hands they make these little souvenirs that people buy, they can run small pensions, etc. And all this allows them to survive and thus to stay, because the Christian presence is a very ancient presence in these lands. On several occasions Pope Francis has appealed for peace in the Holy Land. This appeal becomes even more urgent. HE CARDINALE CLAUDIO GUGEROTTI Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches Pope Francis did not just make an appeal, he raised a cry, and that is his style. The Pope has been very insistent on this war, and he still is. He feels that he has to repeat it every time, as St. Paul would say, in a timely way and in an importunate way. So that people feel that this madness cannot continue. The cardinal's words are addressed to the universal Church to help Christians remain in the Holy Land despite so many difficulties. HE CARDINALE CLAUDIO GUGEROTTI Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches This is a problem that our dicastery for the Eastern Churches has in many areas of the world, especially in the Middle East. You see, the appeal is that salvation to the world came from there. As they say, the light comes from the East because the Lord Jesus was born there. So the appeal is: if Jesus was there, the Christian presence continues to be a witness of continuity with Jesus. Then, as far as we are concerned, the churches that are closest to the culture of Jesus were born there. There are churches that still speak the language of Jesus in the liturgy. There, that for us is an extraordinary treasure. Here, this is the reality. We need you, dear Christians who live in those lands. We need you even if you are small, even if you are poor. The cardinal also recalled the many migrants from various continents who now live alongside local Christians in the Holy Land and sent his Easter message renewing the appeal for help to Christians. HE CARDINALE CLAUDIO GUGEROTTI Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches There are not so many Christians in the Gaza area, but we have to keep in mind that this war also affects the Christians who are in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas and who are also in the other lands where the Palestinian Authority is. There is only one body which is the body of Christ and it is not only the Eucharistic body, it is also the body of the community. So I invite everyone to be generous in this experience. We and the fathers, especially the Franciscan fathers, try to manage these donations in an absolutely strict way, but in such a way that also makes people feel that charity is not just a concept. It is also the solidarity of the whole Church with those who are suffering. Read More