VATICAN CITY: The Vatican is appealing for generous donations from the faithful during the Good Friday service in churches for the Holy Land. Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the head of the Vatican Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, made this clear by recalling the words of Pope Francis that the religious community from around the world should come forward to show solidarity with the Christian community in the Holy Land.
In 1974, Pope Paul VI started the practice of receiving thanksgiving in the name of ‘Pro Terra Sancta’ to help the Holy Land. The thanksgiving collected from churches around the world on Good Friday will be used for a wide range of aid projects, including the protection of holy sites and aid projects for Christian minorities in the Holy Land.
65% of the thanksgiving is handed over to the Franciscan priests, who have been in charge of the management of the places including the churches in the Holy Land for the past eight centuries. Apart from the restoration of historical buildings, the money will also be used for distribution of scholarships and construction of houses for the homeless. The remaining 35% will be made available to the Vatican Dicastery for the Eastern Churches for the training of seminary students.
Jerusalem, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Turkey, Iran and Iraq are the beneficiaries of this thanksgiving gathering under the supervision of the Vatican. The funds will also be used for the operation of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Bethlehem University and schools under the Jerusalem Latin Patriarchate. Last year, nine million dollars were collected in this way.
(Included in the news is a picture of the crucifix in Thirukallara shrine)