Vatican City, Mar 1, 2012 / 11:00 am
The Vatican has called on Catholics around the world to give generously to the traditional Good Friday collection for the Holy Land.
“The annual Lenten journey towards the Pasch of the Lord offers a propitious occasion to sensitize the Catholic Church around the world with regard to the Holy Land by promoting relevant initiatives of prayer and fraternal charity,” said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, in a letter sent to the bishops around the world on March 1.
The annual collection goes not only towards the Church in Israel and Palestine but also to Christians in the surrounding states of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Egypt. Recent political upheaval in the region is creating an uncertain future for many Christians in these lands.
It was in this part of the world, Cardinal Sandri reminded the bishops, that “the Son of God made man” traveled “announcing the Kingdom” before going up “to the Holy City” to be crucified.