The Pope has confirmed Fra Pierbattista Pizzaballa
as Custodian of the Holy Land and Guardian of Mount Zion for another
three years.
Fr. Pizzaballa was elected Custodian of the Holy
Land for the first time in May 2004 and was reconfirmed in the position
for another three years in 2010, the Custody’s website
reports.
His next big commitment will be the Custody’s Chapter which is taking place between 1 and 15 July 2013 in Jerusalem.
The
meeting will be chaired by Fra Renato Beretta, General Visitor of the
Custody of the Holy Land. He was nominated to the position by the
minister general of the order in July 2012.
The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land
have been present in the Middle Eastern region for eight centuries and
have looked after the places where the Christian faith originated on
behalf of the Catholic Church, throughout this time.
The Custody is made
up of about 300 Franciscan Friars, of various nationalities.
They
welcome pilgrims, watch over the holy places, help the local Christian
community, are committed to the study of the Scriptures and
archaeological research and engage in dialogue with people of different
religious faiths and cultures.
Pizzaballa was born on 21 April 1965 in the
northern Italian municipality of Cologno al Serio, in the diocese and
province of Bergamo. He was ordained a priest on 15 September 1990.