The Holy Land is home to a living Christian community whose presence stretches back to the earliest days of the Church. Supporting that community is at the heart of the mission of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, reflects on the meaning of Christian presence in the Holy Land in a recent interview published by the Grand Magisterium:

"The Holy Land is not merely a place to be supported, much less a problem to be solved: it is a source."

In this interview Cardinal Pizzaballa speaks with profound honesty about the ongoing conflict, the resilience of the Christian communities living in the Holy Land, and the spiritual significance of maintaining a Christian presence there. He reflects on the parable of the wheat and the weeds, on what it means to work for peace without illusion, and on why the Holy Land matters not just as a place of historical significance but as a living source of faith for the universal Church.

The New Zealand Magistral Delegation is united in prayer with the Christian communities of the Holy Land and committed to supporting their continued presence through the work of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Read the full interview on the Grand Magisterium's website.