On Sunday, October 5, 2025, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, met with the consecrated women of the Ordo Virginum of the Diocese of Jerusalem in an atmosphere of communion and fraternity.
The meeting was attended by Fr. Marcelo Gallardo (IVE), Chaplain of the Ordo Virginum in Jerusalem, along with seven consecrated women from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Ain Arik.
After a time of sharing in which each participant recounted her journey over the past year, His Beatitude offered a reflection focused on Hope and Compassion—fundamental virtues that are often misunderstood today, especially in the present context of the Holy Land.
H.B. Cardinal Pizzaballa emphasized that “hope is the translation into action of the foundation of faith; it is the ability to see reality beyond hatred, in the light of the Gospel and, in particular, of the Risen Christ.” He invited those present to live it as a continual journey: “If you think you have already arrived, you will not set out on the way.”
Reflecting on compassion, he underlined the need “to let others enter into one’s own suffering,” thus overcoming the temptation of victimhood that isolates and closes the heart.
He concluded by exhorting the consecrated women to live their vocation fully at the service of the Church of Jerusalem, loving this Church as it is, according to the charism of each one. He called them to live the Gospel image of the small seed mentioned in Sunday’s Gospel, which, remaining in the earth, is capable of growing and bearing much fruit despite its apparent insignificance (cf. Lk 17:5–10).
The meeting ended with the celebration of the Eucharist and a fraternal moment shared over a simple refreshment.
