Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Vatican Diplomat Becomes Special Advisor to FFHL

The Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, DD has joined the National Board of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land as a "Special Advisor".

The Franciscan Foundation,the humanitarian arm of the Custodia di Terra Sancta in Jerusalem, was founded in 1994 to specifically address the problem of the Christian exodus from the Holy Land through various programs and projects.

"We are very honored, stated Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa , OFM Custos and Chairman of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, "to have the Papal Representative and the Holy See's ambassador to the United States to be with our Foundation and to serve as 'Special Advisor'. He will be a wonderful asset in our work of stemming the Christian exodus in the Holy Land."

Archbishop Sambi made these comments in a recent letter to the Foundation:

“My many years spent as Pontifical Representative in Jerusalem have made me a staunch supporter of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land!  I have admired the love, the dedication and the faith with which the Franciscans, true to the charism of St. Francis, take care of the Holy Places which are tied to the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to our salvation.  Many of them, during almost 12 centuries of presence and history in the Holy Land, have lost their lives in carrying out their mission and in commitment to the Pope.

Truly praiseworthy is the spirit of ‘evangelical hospitality’ with which the Franciscans receive pilgrims, who, from every part of the world, come to the Holy Land to trace the very steps of Jesus and to have a unique experience of a new, deeper and more personal encounter with Him.

I have seen the social commitment of the Franciscans to the local population, which continues to live under the cloud of endless conflict:  schools, scholarships for poor but deserving students, dwellings for young families, care for the elderly, charity towards persons and families in need, and much more.

And it was in this land that the Lord said, ‘In truth, I tell you, insofar as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.’  Indeed, I have reason to say to everyone that you can trust the ‘Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land’:  for what is given to it is used for the love of Jesus Christ and for the service of His and our brothers and sisters.