As he prepared to leave his position as Franciscan custos of the Holy Land after nine years of service, Father Francesco Patton told OSV News that the time he has spent in the Holy Land as the superior of all Franciscans in the Middle East and the guardian of Catholic holy places in the region has been the most “important formative” experience of his life, and has “pushed him to dream” of a world without borders.
Jerusalem
For the second year in a row, few foreign pilgrims were in attendance at the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into the Old City of Jerusalem due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip; but even the gray skies that threatened rain didn’t dampen the spirit of the 4,000 participants.