In solidarity with the suffering Church, especially with Christians in the Holy Land on Good Friday

In February of 2025, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, wrote to all the Bishops in the Church, asking that they become “persuasive apostles” in support of the annual “Pro Terra Sancta” collection, taken on Good Friday. I encourage you to take the time to read and prayerfully consider the full text of Cardinal Gugerotti’s letter. 

If you are able to read the letter, you will see that Cardinal Gugerotti shares a lengthy quote from Pope Francis’ October 2024 “Letter to the Catholics of the Middle East.” Here, I will share just the first two sentences of that quote: “… you, brothers and sisters in Christ who dwell in the lands of which the Scriptures speak most often, are a small, defenseless flock, thirsting for peace. Thank you for what you are, thank you for wanting to remain in your lands, thank you for being able to pray and love despite everything …”