“In the night of conflicts, you are witnesses to the light of the East” (Pope Leo XIV)

Pope Leo XIV welcomed the participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO) in audience, stating “You provide a breath of oxygen to the Eastern Churches, so worn down by the conflicts in course.” The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre is part of ROACO, and was represented for the occasion by the Governor General, Ambassador Leonardo Visconti di Modrone. “Dear friends of ROACO,” the Pope added during the audience, “in your work, you see the immense sufferings caused by war and terrorism – and here I think of the recent terrible attack on the Church of Saint Elias in Damascus – but you also see the seeds of the Gospel taking root in the desert. [...] In the dark night of conflict, you are witnesses to the light of the East.”

The plenary assembly lasted for two days during which an entire session was dedicated to the concerning situation in the Holy Land. The Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine and Apostolic Nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, who has just concluded his term, participated via videoconference. The Vice-Rector of Bethlehem University, Hernán Santos, was able to be present in person.

“No one holds the copyright on suffering,” said the Patriarch of Jerusalem, summarizing the perspective shared by the other speakers from the Holy Land. He concluded with the realism of faith: “in short, we are not optimistic, but we remain hopeful.”

During the meeting, numerous solidarity projects were discussed. Last January, the Governor General, Ambassador Leonardo Visconti di Modrone, had already announced the Order’s commitment to fund five projects in the Holy Land for a total amount of €253,000.

During the annual Plenary Assembly, the Governor General approved the Order’s support of additional €285,000 for the projects proposed respectively by the Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Apostolic Nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, and by the Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan, Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso.

The June meeting also featured a constructive discussion on the international political situation with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Secretariat of State. He described the Holy See’s action in conflict zones as “an unarmed and disarming prophecy.”

(June 2025)