Rome Newsroom, Oct 2, 2025 / 14:46 pm
The secretary-general of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI, by its Italian acronym), Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi, has concluded a significant visit to the Holy Land, the CEI announced. The visit took place Sept. 27–30.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, in the CEI statement said: “In this difficult moment of solitude and abandonment, closeness and presence are important: for this we wish to express our sincere gratitude. We know that these visits are not to be taken for granted, and we know, as we have said in recent days, that all this is true and heartfelt. We have perceived it in recent months from many Italian churches — a real closeness.”
During the visit, Baturi had the opportunity to meet “some priests gathered on retreat: They told us they felt the need and were grateful for this empathy and closeness they have needed, more so than any projects,” Pizzaballa said.
In addition, during the same visit, Baturi announced a major joint project between the CEI and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: the opening of a hospital in Gaza. The archbishop noted that “there is a very serious health problem, and we want to address it together with the patriarchate: It is a concrete commitment, which will take a great deal of effort,” Baturi explained.
The visit was also an opportunity to explore the possibility of a pilgrimage by representatives of the Italian episcopate, as has already happened with several regional bishops’ conferences, the statement added.
In this regard, Baturi said: “We want to relaunch pilgrimages as a practice capable of forging bonds with communities, not just visiting places. This appeal has come to us from many parish priests, both in Judea and Galilee. We will therefore make a pilgrimage as Italian bishops and promote many others: It is a concrete form of closeness and solidarity.”
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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