Pilgrimages are 'safe,' Holy Land church leaders say, telling pilgrims: 'We're waiting for you'

(OSV News) -- Catholic leaders in the Holy Land called on Christian pilgrims to return to the region following the implementation of the long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

A joint video posted on the Franciscan Custody's X account, shows the Latin patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the custos of the Holy Land, Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, walking through the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem speaking with Palestinian shopkeepers and pilgrims. The two leaders emphasized the safety in the Holy Land and the importance of Christian pilgrimage not only for the pilgrims but also for the local Christian community.

"It is very important to come and to renew the spirit of pilgrimage. … This is one of the three holy places indicated for the pilgrimage during the Jubilee for the Holy Land," said Father Patton.

"We are waiting for you because when you come as pilgrims to the Holy Land our small Christian community feels that we are part of a great family that is the great family of the Christians of the Catholic Church, of the Christians living all around the world, and so please don't fear, don't be afraid. Come, the pilgrimage is safe and we are waiting for you."

Cardinal Pizzaballa called the ceasefire a "turning point" marking life in the Holy Land, expressing gratitude to the universal churches who had supported them through "prayer, unity and solidarity" during the "very difficult year."

"Now is about time also to continue to express solidarity to the Holy Land: It is about time to come back to Jerusalem to visit the holy places," he said. "Hope, the source and the origin of the hope is here in the Holy Sepulcher with Jesus Risen Lord," the patriarch added.

In a Jan. 21 interview with the Latin Patriarchate media office, Gaza City's Holy Family Parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli, said his parish felt a mixture of joy and hope at the ceasefire announcement.

"It's a significant step forward, offering hope, but it does not mark the end of the conflict," he cautioned. "We pray that this is the beginning of lasting peace. We are relying on international efforts to end the war and focus on the future of the Middle East and the Holy Land."

The report noted that Father Romanelli said the sound of explosions and drones had finally stopped "offering relief to many." Some of the parishioners who had taken shelter at the church compound since the beginning of the war had left to go check on their homes, some discovering that they have been completely destroyed while others have not yet even been able to recognize where their old neighborhoods are located, he said.

"We are filled with hope and are working to rebuild our future," he said in the interview, thanking Pope Francis and the patriarch for their steadfast support.

Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian pilgrimages have suffered since the outbreak of war following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities along the Gaza border. Bethlehem has especially suffered as its economy depends largely on pilgrimages and tourism.

Father Firas Aridah, parish priest of St. George the Martyr in Irbid, Jordan, noted that the land of Jesus' baptism has long been the "Forgotten Holy Land," despite being the site from where all the popes since St. Paul VI have begun their Holy Land pilgrimages. The 15-month-long war has also affected the pilgrimages that normally do come to the Christian holy sites in Jordan -- which is actually a part of the biblical Holy Land -- he said.

He urged Christians to also remember the less-visited holy sites when planning a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, such as the ancient ruins of Pella near Amman which according to tradition is the site where the early Christians of Jerusalem escaped roughly 40 years after Christ's death and resurrection; the basalt ruins of Umm Qais -- biblical Gadara -- traditionally where according to the Gospel Jesus performed an exorcism and cast out demons and sent them into swine; or Mar Elias -- Elijah's hill -- were two Byzantine churches are dedicated to the Prophet Elijah on the traditional site of his translation into heaven. Herod's fortress Machaerus, where St. John the Baptist was executed, is also in Jordan south of Madaba, Father Aridah added.

The milestone inauguration of the Church of the Baptism of Christ took place Jan. 10 on the banks of the Jordan River at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, known as Al-Maghtas in Arabic.

"We have what is the beginning of Christianity in Jordan, and also sites from both the Old and New Testaments, from Mt. Nebo to Madaba to the baptism site," Father Aridah said.

Cardinal Pizzaballa in his video message stressed: "There is no danger, now even more with the ceasefire. So it's about time to take courage to come here. We are waiting for you."