On Sunday, November 23, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Holy Land Commissioners attended Mass in the parish of San Salvatore.

The church was packed with catechism students, parents, youth from various groups (scouts and others), families, and pilgrims.

The celebration, presided over by the parish priest, Fra Rami Asakhrie, was attended, in addition to the Commissioners of the Holy Land gathered for the congress, by the Father Custos, Fra Francesco Ielpo, and other friars of the Custody of the Holy Land.

The Feast of Christ the King

The Solemnity of Christ the King concludes the liturgical year and reveals the heart of faith, Brother Rami reminds us: all kingdoms built on power and domination, from antiquity to modern ideologies, are destined to fall, while the Kingdom of Christ endures because it is founded on love and service.

The readings remind us that "there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" and that true greatness lies in becoming a servant. The Good Thief, on the cross, shows the way to enter this Kingdom: to acknowledge Jesus as the only Savior, to have a humble heart, and to ask for the gift of heaven.

Brother Rami continues: "It is the same truth witnessed by Saint Josephine Bakhita, who, despite having experienced slavery, chose as her only King He who does not crush but saves, who does not demand but gives life."

A calling that reaches every believer today: to let ourselves be guided by Christ in love and service.

Visits to the Terra Sancta Museum of the Flagellation

In the afternoon, divided into language groups, the Friar Commissaries of the Holy Land set out for the Monastery of the Flagellation, in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter, for a guided tour of the Terra Sancta Museum.

Next to the Church of the Flagellation is the Terra Sancta Museum, a major museum project of the Custody, continually evolving and scheduled for completion in 2026.

Brother Eugenio Alliata, associate professor of Biblical Archaeology at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, led the groups through the museum's rooms, among stones, ceramics, coins, and artifacts from every origin and era.

Today, the museum preserves and showcases a rare archaeological and artistic heritage of Christianity: a treasure guarded by the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land for over 800 years.

The artifacts come primarily from holy places and sanctuaries such as the Holy Sepulchre, Magdala, Capernaum, Tabgha, Dominus Flevit, and many others.