This morning, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches, and Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, the Holy See’s representative in Jerusalem, visited CNEWA-Pontifical Mission’s Jerusalem office. During an hour-long visit, we were privileged to describe our work and our mission and discuss issues of concern to the people we serve.
Among other things, we explained to the cardinal how the local community looks to CNEWA-Pontifical Mission as a sign of the pope’s interest, closeness and support toward those in need in the Palestine and Israel — and how we seek to express that through the programs and projects we support.
We also discussed challenges facing local Christians — including their lack of identity, and how many don’t feel a sense of belonging to the land of Jesus. We talked, as well, about the effects of emigration on the local population. We shared with the cardinal how we approach these and other issues in close partnership with the local church.
At the end of the visit, we gave Cardinal Sandri a small reminder of this historic visit: a ceramic pomegranate decorated with the walls of Jerusalem and the most important Christian monuments in the holy city.
