Holy Sepulchre: Two thousand years of History

Few places in the world carry with them the weight of as many centuries as the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Until 135 AD, the site remained almost intact: the tomb excavated in the rock was still recognizable, even though the city was already under Roman rule after the captu...

“Gaza is forgotten. Today all attention is on Iran and southern Lebanon, but in the Strip, two million people are still suffering: the issue is unresolved.” Speaking by phone to Vatican News, Bishop William Shomali, vicar general of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem since 2021, made an appeal to keep focus on what is still happening in the Strip.

The economy there is...

Pope Leo XIV sent Easter greetings to Catholics in Gaza as they celebrate Easter amid the fear and uncertainty of war, said Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Parish.

In a video posted on his X account April 6, Father Romanelli said on Easter, he received a message from the pope who “has been constantly in contact with us, through messages and at times, t...

On Easter morning, at the Church of San Salvatore, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, presided over and solemnly concluded the Easter Triduum together with the friars of the Custody of the Holy Land.

The Consul General of Italy in Jerusalem, Domenico Bellato, also took part in the celebration, as a sign of closeness to the Franciscan presence and the local C...

Holy Week in the Holy Land is unfolding in unprecedented silence, as war-related restrictions have left sacred sites largely without the faithful.

Israeli authorities, citing security concerns amid the U.S. and Israel–Iran war, have limited access to major liturgies, including those at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where a handful of friars led by Holy Land’s patri...