Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Bishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso celebrated Holy Mass at St. Mary of Nazareth Church in Sweifieh, Amman, on July 17, 2024 marking the diamond jubilee (75^th anniversary) of the establishment of the Pontifical Mission in the Holy Land.

 The Holy Mass was concelebrated by President of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine Msgr. Peter Vaccari, Acting Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Fr. Jihad Shweihat, Bishop Ilario Antoniazzi, as well as a number of priests from various Churches, deacons, and nuns  in the presence of Pontifical Mission Regional Director Mr. Ra’ed Bahou, diplomats, and a large number of believers.

In his address, Bishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso praised the work of the Pontifical Mission in Jordan and Palestine, which was established by Pope Pius XII to help the Palestinian people in the wake the 1948 catastrophe, stressing that God does not abandon His people, while noting that the incarnation of Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Land and His baptism in Jordan provide cogent evidence of God’s concern for us and for not abandoning humanity.

He said: “God does not abandon us; we can see his biggest gift, which is His Son Jesus Christ. In Christ, we see that God doesn’t abandon us, because he sent His Son for our salvation. Christ is the most important sign that God cares for us, that He wants to meet with us, that He loves us. In the death and resurrection of Christ, we see how God is ready to suffer for us, in order to give us strength, life and hope.”

He added, “Moreover, through our baptism we receive strength, life and hope, because of the baptism, we are also one body in Christ, where one member takes care of the other. Therefore, we can celebrate today the fact that the universal Church 75 years ago wanted a special institution to help the Palestinian people after the events of 1948. We all know the sufferings of that time, involved also the Kingdom of Jordan.”

He continued, “But we should remember with gratitude today that with Pope Pius XII the Holy See was concerned about the people in this region and for this reason created the Pontifical Mission, in order to help the people in their suffering and the local Church in its activity. This work lasted for 75 years and the Pontifical Mission continues today to support Christians and non-Christians in the whole region of the Middle East. This is a sign, that the Holy See doesn’t forget what is happening here and the difficulties we are living through.”

The Apostolic Nuncio pointed out that over the past months “Pope Francis and the Holy See in general always called for peace and reconciliation, for the release of hostages and prisoners, for the ceasefire and the end of war, for respect and international support for the Gazan population and in general for the Palestinian people and their right to have a proper State.” He also drew attention to the fact that” what Pope Pius XII began continues today with Pope Francis.”

In this regard, the Apostolic Nuncio quoted Pope Saint Paul VI, who said 50 years ago: “The Pontifical Mission is one of the clearest signs of the Vatican’s concern for the welfare of the Palestinians, who are particularly dear to us”. He also recalled the words of the Cardinal Secretary of State, who wrote in recent months that “the Christian communities in the Middle East are a priority for the Holy See”.

Bishop Dal Toso expressed gratefulness for the activity of the Holy See, both diplomatic and humanitarian, aimed at supporting all the Christians and all the people in the Middle East. He also conveyed special gratitude to the Pontifical Mission in Jordan where through its qualified staff continues to help in pastoral and humanitarian activity for Jordanians and for refugees. He concluded his address saying, “Your work is a stone in the construction of a peaceful Middle East.”

The choir of the Our Lady of Nazareth Church and the choir of the English community sang the hymns assigned for the Mass in Arabic and English. At the end of the Holy Mass, Monsignor Vaccari thanked the employees of the Pontifical Mission in Jordan, congratulated them on the Diamond Jubilee. He also affirmed that the work designed to help the Palestinian people and the churches of the Middle East would continue.

Later, Monsignor Vaccari thanked Regional Director of the Pontifical Mission Mr. Ra’ed Bahou and all the  employees, as well as  everyone who attended and contributed to the success of this noble anniversary.

It is noteworthy that Pope Pius XII ordered the establishment of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine in 1949, which is a special agency for relief and development in the Middle East, with the aim of highlighting the closeness of the  Pontiff and the Catholic Church to the displaced Palestinian people in 1948.

Since then, the Pontifical Mission has continued its mission of providing humanitarian and spiritual assistance to the Palestinian people, as well as supporting the Christian community and needy communities in the Holy Land, through cooperation with local churches, Catholic institutions and international organizations.