The current COVID-19 pandemic concerns many countries and in many of them preventive measures preclude the normal community celebration of Holy Week.

The Christian communities in the Holy Land, also exposed to the risk of contagion and living in contexts already full of serious sufferings, benefit every year from the generosity of the faithful from all over the world. This solidarity enables them to continue their evangelical presence, in addition to maintaining schools and social structures that assist all citizens with healthcare, education and peaceful coexistence, attending above all to the weakest and poorest.

For this reason, Pope Francis has approved the proposal that the Collection for the Holy Land, for the year 2020, take place on Sunday, 13 September, near the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

The celebration that commemorates the discovery of the Relics of the Cross by Saint Helen also marks a new beginning of public worship in Jerusalem, with the construction of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. May it be a sign of hope and salvation after the Passion to which many peoples are now associated, as well as solidarity with those who continue to live the Gospel of Jesus on the Land where “it all began”.