This December, after the presentation in Rome of his new book on episcopal conferences, Cardinal Filoni, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, explained the situation in the Holy Land like this, “The situation is very, very sad and really everybody has a concern about the future of the Holy Land. In this moment, it’s terrible because the Holy Land lives with the presence of pilgrims and the Church herself is in difficulty in this moment.”   

The Pope tasked the Equestrian Order with supporting the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Christian presence in the region.  

Cardinal Filoni stressed that the Order is doing everything possible to help the Church in Jerusalem. The Order has thousands of members globally, with a significant presence in Europe and the United States. The Knights and Dames of the Order pray and donate for the small Christian population, their schools, and church buildings. This kind of help is more necessary than ever.  

During the inauguration celebrations for the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis also called for renewed efforts of the faithful to pray for peace.  

The Holy Father reminded all the faithful to pray for the people suffering from the war in the Holy Land, especially as we contemplate what happened in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. 

Adapted by Jacob Stein.