The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, welcomed the first group of pilgrims to the Holy Land since the COVID-19 lockdown was put in place a year and a half ago.
"The return of the pilgrims means for Jerusalem to breathe with two lungs again" said Archbishop Pizzaballa in an interview with Vatican Radio.
The pilgrimage, which took place in the first week of July, was led by the Holy See’s Roman Pilgrimage Organization (Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi), and included a group of tour guides, priests and journalists.
Among the pilgrims was Cardinal Enrico Feroci, who serves as parish priest of the parish of Santa Maria del Divino Amore in Rome.
After visiting the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, Cardinal Feroci talked about the experience of visiting the sacred places of the Holy Land.
Fr. Filippo Morlacchi of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem was among those to welcome the group.
In addition to visiting the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Cenacle, among other holy sites in Jerusalem, the group journeyed to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and celebrated Holy Mass at the Church of the Nutrition in Nazareth. Also known as the Church of St. Joseph, this small church was built over what tradition tells us was Joseph’s workshop.
Small groups of tourists are now permitted to visit Israel. The country’s Tourism Ministry recently announced that it would open the country to individual foreign tourists on August 1. The opening date was originally July 1, but an increase in coronavirus infections prompted moving the date ahead another month.
