From the 19th to 25th November 2025, the Fifth International Congress of the Commissaries of the Holy Land was held in Jerusalem, on the theme "Ambassadors of Peace: listening, supporting and proclaiming the Holy Land". 75 commissioners from 38 countries on all continents participated, a living sign of the universality of the Franciscan mission.
Mass at the Cenacle, presided over by the Custos Br. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, officially opened the Congress. In the following days, the Commissaries listened to direct testimonies of the Christian communities living in the Holy Land, marked by years of conflict and economic crisis, but bearers of unshakable hope. Amongst the most intense voices was the connection with Br. Gabriel Romanelli, Parish Priest of the Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza, who recounted how the community continues to bear witness to faith in the midst of bombing and destruction, transforming itself into a refuge for displaced families, the sick and children of all religions.
The Congress dedicated space to the knowledge of the works of the Custody that support local communities. Br. Paulo Paulista, OFM, director of the Helen Keller Centre in Beit Hanina, shared the different challenges to protect 620 blind, visually impaired, and deaf children during the war sirens, whilst Br. Jad Sara, OFM, illustrated the complex management of the 404 houses that the Custody offers to Christian families in the Old City of Jerusalem, an essential service to help communities stay in their own land.
The Commissaries reflected on the importance of preserving not only the stones of the shrines, but above all, the living stones. Br. Stéphane Milovitch, OFM, head of the Terra Sancta Museum, explained how the museum spoke of the eight hundred years of Franciscan presence and is transformed into a space for dialogue with Jews and Muslims. Br. Siniša Srebrenović, OFM, Guardian of the friary of the Agony in Gethsemane, recalled that taking care of a holy place means first of all praying in it, even when pilgrims are lacking.
A day was dedicated to Bethlehem, where the Commissaries visited the Terra Sancta College, the Home of the Child Jesus and the Catholic Action centre, meeting a community that resists with courage despite the difficulties. The Congress also addressed operational issues, such as the promotion of the Good Friday Collection, a fundamental tool to support the works of the Custody, and the future of pilgrimages, rethought as transforming experiences of encounter with Christ and with local communities.
The Custos presided at the Mass at the Holy Sepulchre on the last day of the congress, inviting the Commissaries to allow themselves to be reached by the gaze of the Risen One to become witnesses of hope. In his final message, Br. Ielpo recalled that the mission of the Commissioner is not an administrative task but an authentic vocation, to be ambassadors of the Holy Land, interpreters of the spiritual sense of the Holy Places, bridges between the Custody and the communities of origin, and support of the living stones that bear witness to the Gospel in fragile conditions.
The congress ended with Vespers at St. Saviour's and the handing over of the insignia with the cross of Jerusalem to each commissary, a symbol of their mission to proclaim peace and guard the hope that is born from the place where Christ lived, died and rose again.
Download the Final Message and Mandate of the Fifth International Congress of the Commissaries of the Holy Land: Italiano - Español - English
