ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 8, 2024 / 16:50 pm
The grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, concluded on Jan. 3 a five-day visit to the Holy Land, where the Christian minority is feeling the effects of the lack of pilgrimages due to the war.
In a YouTube Italian video posted by Vatican News, the cardinal said that “the lack of pilgrims has been weighing very heavily on them [Christians].”
Filoni explained that the absence of pilgrimages is not only felt “from a religious point of view” but also economically, with “serious repercussions” on families, especially those “who make their living from this contact with pilgrims.”
However, he noted that in the midst of isolation, “a very strong sense of prayer” has developed among Christians. This spiritual sustenance has not been lacking from all those who in some way have accompanied us on our journey.”