Custody of the Holy Land

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Archaeological sites, such as the ruins of Capernaum , are under the supervision of the Custody of the Holy Land

The Custody of the Holy Land (Latin Custodia Terræ Sanctæ , the Italian form Custodia di terra santa is often used) is the religious organization of the Franciscans in the Holy Land . This was originally part of the Franciscan Mission Province of Oltre Mare (Italian: "Beyond the Sea"), to which the entire eastern Mediterranean area belonged, and has been a separate religious province since 1571, while retaining the name of custody . Today, in addition to Israel and Palestine , the custody also includes Lebanon , Syria , Jordan , Cyprus and Rhodes as well as individual convents in Italy, Egypt , the USA and Argentina. The headquarters are located in the Salvator Monastery in the Christian Quarter of the old city of Jerusalem .

The canonical superior of the custody bears the title of custos (= guardian) of the Holy Land. Francesco Patton (* 1963 in Vigo Meano, Trentino ) has been practicing this ministry since 2016 .

history

After the Crusaders were driven out, the Franciscans were the first representatives of the Catholic Church to resettle in the Palestine region. They succeeded in obtaining permission from the sultans of Egypt to look after various holy places of Christianity.

The custody gained special importance through the 1342 of Pope Clement VI. commissioned to represent the interests of the Latin Church in the holy places. Until the 19th century the Franciscans were the only Catholic religious order represented in the Holy Land and until the re-establishment of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1847 they were entrusted with practically all ecclesiastical tasks in the region.

Initially, the custody was entrusted with the Upper Room (since 1333) on Mount Zion , the Latin part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem (since 1342) and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem (since 1347). Over the centuries she was able to acquire other old Christian sites and build churches there. Since the 19th century in particular, she has also carried out scientific excavations in these places. Further tasks were and are the care of pilgrims' hostels, schools and scientific institutes as well as social institutions.

Monasteries

The custody includes 28 monasteries in Israel, 9 of them in Jerusalem and five in Palestine; also 2 Poor Clare monasteries in Jerusalem and Nazareth.

  • 2 monasteries in Jordan: Amman (Luwaibdeh) and Madaba / Monte Nebo
  • 4 monasteries in Lebanon: Beirut (2), Harissa, Tripoli
  • 11 monasteries in Syria: Aleppo (3), Damascus (3), Gassanieh, Knayeh, Jacoubie, Jisr El-Choughour, Lattakiah
  • 1 monastery in Egypt: Kairo-Musky
  • 4 monasteries in Cyprus: Larnaka (with pastoral care in Agia Napa ), Limassol, Nicosia (2)
  • 4 monasteries in Greece: Rodi (3), Kos
  • 3 monasteries in Italy: Rome, Montefalco, Naples with the General Commissariat of the Holy Land
  • 1 monastery in Spain: Madrid
  • 1 monastery in Argentina: Buenos Aires
  • 1 monastery in USA: Washington DC

Supervised sites

Floor mosaic in the Flagellation Chapel on Via Dolorosa

The custody today looks after the following sites, among others:

Other tasks

The facilities of the custody include the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum , a publishing house and the Christian Information Center in Jerusalem.

The Custody is also responsible for bestowing the Jerusalem Pilgrim Cross on visitors to the Holy Places. At the end of each year, she informs the Papal Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples of the amount of donations she has received from the bearers of the Pilgrim's Cross .

The Terra Sancta schools in Israel and Palestine as well as one each in Jordan, Lebanon and Cyprus are an important part of the work of the custody . Such schools exist in Nazareth (college), Bethlehem (college for boys, secondary school for girls), Jerusalem (high school for boys, secondary school for girls), Jericho , Jaffa (separate boys and girls' schools) and Ramleh . These schools are open to children of all denominations and social classes; In some schools, for example, Jewish Israelis, Christians and Muslims sit side by side in one class. Funding is mainly provided by the custody and donations, in some cases also with state or municipal grants. Where these grants are inadequate or inadequate, school fees are also levied, but these are waived for socially disadvantaged people - and thus for a large number of students in the Palestinian territories.

In order to alleviate the situation of Christian Palestinians between the fronts in particular, the custody is building social housing for large families in Betfage on the Mount of Olives.

Aid Agency of the Custody of the Holy Land

The "Aid Organization of the Custody of the Holy Land" ATS ( Associazione di Terra Santa - Community of the Holy Land) is an aid organization founded by the Custody of the Holy Land . The task of the relief organization is public relations, fundraising and project support for the Holy Land and the Christians in the Middle East. The focus of project funding is on:

  • in the preservation of the Christian sites of Jesus' ministry in the Holy Land
  • in social and charitable projects for Christians in the Middle East and for those in need
  • in targeted help in emergency situations

The projects supported and accompanied by the “Relief Organization of the Custody of the Holy Land” are in the Palestinian Territories , Israel , Syria , Lebanon , Jordan , Egypt , Cyprus and Rhodes . The aid organization also offers the opportunity to volunteer in the Holy Land or to support the Holy Land as part of a cooperation.

The "Aid Organization of the Custody of the Holy Land" is a donation-financed non - profit non - governmental organization in the legal form of an association with its legal seat in Rome and its operational office in Jerusalem . The president of the relief organization is the custodian of the Holy Land.

Custodians of the Holy Land

See also

literature

  • Heinrich Fürst: The Custody of the Holy Land. The Mission of the Franciscans in the Holy Land and the Middle East . Franciscan Mission Association in Bavaria, Munich 1981.
  • Robert Jauch: The “Colonia” in the “Land of the Lord”. On the presence of the Cologne Franciscan Province in the Custody of the Holy Land . In: Analecta Coloniensia , ISSN  1861-7263 , Vol. 6 (2006), pp. 197-216.
  • Heinrich Fürst, Gregor Geiger: In the Land of the Lord: A Franciscan pilgrim and travel guide for the Holy Land . Bonifatius, Paderborn 2016 (6th edition).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nuovo Custode di Terra Santa . In: NoteUPS . Rome, vol. 33, no.22 (Maggio 2006), p. 27.
  2. ↑ custiodia.org: Monasteries

Coordinates: 31 ° 46 ′ 44.2 "  N , 35 ° 13 ′ 38.8"  E