Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "This year the pandemic has caused very serious damage, especially to Christians living in the pilgrimage areas. They have found themselves without work, and this is something that harms not only the individual, but families and communities; at the same time Christians, being a minority, feel under pressure, and sometimes even discriminated against in some way. At times we suffer, for example, from invasions of Christian property and sometimes it becomes difficult to safeguard their very physical presence." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "Our role, that of the Church in this reality, is first of all to support and encourage the Christian identity of Christians. Because a Christian knows that being a Christian in the Holy Land is a vocation and a mission." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "In 2000 years, the Christians of the Holy Land have been able to withstand many changes, many difficult situations, power shifts and so on. A strong Christian identity. And this is the task of the church and it is a pastoral task to support this identity through parishes, but also through schools and education. The church in the Holy Land also has a social mission, which is linked to creating job opportunities and having house building projects for young people who are looking to start a family. But the church also has a social mission with regard to education, which is a crucial field. Schools play a particularly important role and the church also has a special task in welcoming those who, for various reasons, find themselves uprooted from their own country and community or come from abroad to work here. Precisely because the Church is the mother of all, it must try to take care of and accompany everyone." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "For us, the Holy Land Collection is something essential and vital, because it allows us to take care not only of the Holy Places but also, and above all, of the Christians of the Holy Land. It allows us to carry out all those works that we have spoken about so many times: from schools, pastoral activities in parishes, works of assistance to people in difficulty, as well as all other works in favour of our brothers and sisters who live in the most difficult situations such as in Lebanon and even more so in Syria. As well as all the emergency situations, which unfortunately are not uncommon and have been accentuated this year by the Pandemic." Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofm Custos of the Holy Land "I would like to thank all those who helped to organise the Pro Terra Santa Collection, both the dioceses and the parishes, and all the networks that spread the message and the call for solidarity."