On July 1, 2026, on the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, ordained ten Franciscan friars to the Order of priesthood in the Basilica of the Agony at Gethsemane. In his homily, he reflected on the priesthood of the new covenant born from the Blood of Christ, calling the newly ordained to become witnesses of God's mercy in a land that often seeks vengeance. Concelebrated by Fr. Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, together with numerous priests and friars, the celebration was attended by local faithful and religious sisters.
Click here to read the homily of the Patriarch
The ten ordinands expressing their readiness to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and to be ordained as priests.
The Priesthood Born from the Blood of Christ
Reflecting on the mystery of the feast, Cardinal Pizzaballa noted that it was no coincidence that the ordination took place in Gethsemane on the Feast of the Most Precious Blood, reminding the ordinands that every priest is called to become "a witness to that life-giving Blood”.
Beginning with the story of Abel, whose blood cried out to God from the earth, the Patriarch traced the history of salvation as God's response to the cry of humanity wounded by violence and sin. While Abel's blood demanded justice, Christ's Blood, freely offered in love, speaks a different language: “implores God to act with mercy towards sinners."
The Patriarch explained that the priesthood of the New Covenant is rooted in this mystery of Christ's self-giving sacrifice. The Blood of Christ, he said, is "life, forgiveness, and communion," entrusted to the Church through the ministry of her priests.
Configured to Christ the High Priest
During the Rite of Ordination, the candidates lay prostrate before the altar in complete surrender to God's will, echoing Christ's own prayer in Gethsemane. Through the Prayer of Ordination, the anointing of their hands, and their investiture with the priestly vestments, they are now called to bring to the people through the Sacraments that one sacrifice offered at calvary, as the Patriarch explained, “Today, you are being ordained to become channels of that river”.
The ordinands lie prostrate while the earthly Church unites her prayer with the communion of saints, invoking their heavenly intercession.
Priestly vocation in Jerusalem
Turning to the particular mission entrusted to those not only living and serving in the Holy Land, but also those who love the Church of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pizzaballa reflected on their unique vocation, in living out the Mystery of that Blood that was shed as a response to the cry of innocent blood. Saying: "You are called to be witnesses in a land that has seen too much violence, too much division, too much bloodshed. You are called to bring the Blood that reconciles, unites, and forgives".
The Patriarch observed that every liturgical celebration in Jerusalem leads the celebrants into the heart of the “mystery of God's love”, which is also “a mystery of suffering”.
"Salvation lies in continuing to hold fast to these two cries: that of humanity, violent and sinful, and that of Jesus, who saves", he explained, for those who belong to this local Church, he said, the vocation is to place this mystery of a love offered at the center of their lives, allowing themselves to be transformed by it each day, and to continue making the Holy Land "the place where the Word and the Land encounter one another."
The Patriarch places roses on the rock in the Garden of Gethsemane, traditionally venerated as the place where Jesus is believed to have sweated blood in His agony.
Concluding, he reminded the new priests the source of their priesthood, the strength of their ministry, and the hope of salvation. In a world that continues to cry out for vengeance, he said, priests are called to become instruments through whom God offers His love that surpasses human logic, so that "the 'yes' of love may be stronger than all our 'no's.'"
