Pope Benedict XVI’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May was a remarkable success. Cardinal John Patrick Foley, Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, who accompanied the Pope on this important visit, explains its significance to H2onews:

“The visit of the Holy Father was very, very successful. It was a triumph for the Christian community and I think it was very important for all of the people of the Holy Land, in Jordan, in Israel and in the Palestinian Territories, because there was an appeal for peace, for a non-violent resolution of the differences.”

Since the year 2000, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem has contributed 50 million dollars to schools, hospitals, parishes and social centers so as to assist the Christian community in the Holy Land. In addition to this material assistance, giving witness to faith in the Lord Jesus is equally important:

“In the Middle Ages we protected pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land and we helped to protect the holy places themselves. Now we try to help the Christian communities in the Holy Land, so that the Holy Land becomes not just a museum for Christians of places made sacred by Christ, but also remains an active Christian community giving witness to faith in the Lord Jesus.”

Cardinal Foley recommends the great experience of visiting the Holy Land -- a trip, he said, thta “is unforgettable.”

“I would really recommend for everybody a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. People make pilgrimages to Lourdes, to Fatima, to Santiago de Compostela, and all of these were important and good. But I think the trip to Holy land is unforgettable. You see the Sea of Galilee where Jesus walked around the sea and on the sea; you see the Mount of the Beatitudes; you see Bethlehem where He was born; you see Nazareth were He grew up; and you see Jerusalem, of course, where He talked, and suffered and died and rose.”