Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, has written a letter asking Catholics to support the collection for the Holy Places («Pro Terra Sancta»).
The Syrian cardinal said the annual fund-raiser encourages believers to send to the Church of the Holy Land, «the charity of their prayers, the warmth of their understanding, and the tangible sign of their solidarity.»
«The continued tension in the Middle East, with no decisive and conclusive steps yet taken toward the object of peace» is «a grave and constant danger» for the holy places, he stated.
In addition to pilgrimage sites, the Holy Land is home to a Church that educates children, supports unemployed youths, and aids the handicapped.
Lately weakened by emigration, the Catholic community needs material and moral support, the letter emphasizes. The objective of solidarity should be to «generate in the faithful worldwide love for that common homeland, which is the Lord´s land,» the message states.
