Fifty years of meetings, listening, and reflection.

The International Congresses of the Commissaries of the Holy Land represent a golden thread that unites the Franciscan friars scattered around the world with the Custody of the Holy Land, the beating heart of the Christian presence in the Places of Jesus.

From the first congress in 1969 to the next one planned for 2025, the history of these gatherings tells the story of a journey of fraternity, communion, and evangelical witness lived amid the challenges of the contemporary world.

Nazareth, 1969 - The beginning of a journey

The first congress was held in 1969 in Nazareth, under the newly inaugurated dome of the Basilica of the Annunciation. It was a time of ecclesial ferment, only a few years after the Second Vatican Council, and the Custody sought to redefine its role in dialogue with modernity and other religions.

On that occasion, the Commissaries of the Holy Land — friars scattered throughout the world with the mission of spiritually and materially supporting the Custody — gathered for the first time to reflect together on their mission.

The central theme was the Franciscan presence as a sign of peace and as a guardian of the evangelical memory.
It was a simple yet prophetic meeting, which laid the foundations for a worldwide network of fraternity in the service of the Holy Land and its pilgrims.

Jerusalem, 2006 - The return after forty years

Nearly four decades would pass before a new International Congress was held. The second congress was inaugurated in Jerusalem on November 19, 2006, in a completely renewed context: globalization, new means of communication, and growing tensions in the Middle East. The meeting, organized by Fr. Artemio Vítores, Fr. Jerzy Kraj, Fr. Nicolás Márquez, and Fr. Stéphane Milovitch, brought together 80 commissaries from all continents.

The Minister General, Fr. José Rodríguez Carballo, opened the proceedings with a Mass at the Cenacolino, inviting everyone to "rediscover the grace of the origins" and to live "with authenticity the dimensions of Gospel, fraternity, minority, and mission."

Among the most significant days was the one dedicated to the Good Friday Collection, described as "the lifeblood of the Custody." There was also an artistic moment: the concert by the Magnificat Institute and the "Jasmine" choir, directed by Hania Soudah Sabbara, became a symbol of dialogue between cultures and faiths in the name of peace. "The Commissary is not only an administrator," recalled Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, then custos of the Holy Land, "but a witness and a bridge between the universal Church and the Land of Jesus."

2012 - A new missionary impulse

From January 30 to February 4, 2012, Jerusalem hosted the III International Congress.
More than 90 delegates from 40 nations addressed a key theme:

"Strengthening and adapting the mission to new times and new ecclesial needs."

The reflection focused on the pastoral role of the Commissaries as promoters of authentic pilgrimages and of an evangelical communication rooted in Franciscan spirituality. It was a moment of dialogue and renewal that marked a new season of international collaboration.

2018 - Pilgrimage as Evangelization

The IV Congress, held from November 26 to December 2, 2018, revolved around a theme that summed up the perennial Franciscan mission:

"Pastoral care of pilgrimage, welcome, memory, evangelization."

About 70 Commissaries took part. Among the most significant contributions were those of Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and Monsignor José Octavio Ruiz Arenas, of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization.

The custos, Fr. Francesco Patton, underlined the responsibility of every Commissary to "tell the story of the Holy Land as a living Gospel."

The congress reaffirmed four fundamental tasks of the Commissaries:

• to make the Holy Land and its people known,
• to promote the Good Friday Collection,
• to accompany pilgrims as a faith experience,
• to be workers of peace and communion.

2025 - Ambassadors of Peace

The 5th International Congress of the Commissaries of the Holy Land will be held in Jerusalem from November 19 to 25, 2025.

The chosen theme, "Ambassadors of peace, listening, supporting, proclaiming the Holy Land," resounds as an urgent invitation in the dramatic context of ongoing conflicts in the region.

Among the announced speakers are Fr. Francesco Ielpo, current custos of the Holy Land, and Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa. The goal will be to reaffirm the role of the Commissaries as messengers of reconciliation, capable of combining concrete solidarity with evangelical witness. "In a time wounded by hatred," explains Fr. Ielpo, "the Commissaries are called to be voices of hope, guardians of dialogue, and artisans of peace."

A living legacy

From Nazareth in 1969 to Jerusalem in 2025, the International Congresses of the Commissaries of the Holy Land tell a story of fidelity and renewal. Behind each edition lies the unbroken thread of a vocation: to be lesser brothers at the service of the living memory of the Gospel, in the places where it was born.

Five congresses, one mission: to guard, proclaim, and love the Land of Jesus as the home of all.