Jerusalem, November 30, 2020

Subject: The Solemn Entrance and the First Pontifical Mass of the new Latin Patriarch at the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulcher

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Beloved parishioners,

Greetings!

Due to the current condition that our Holy Land and the world are enduring, and because of the outbreak of the Coronavirus and the strict regulations to maintain public safety, it was decided that the Solemn Entrance of the Patriarch and the Pontifical High Mass is limited to a very few number of participants and officials. Therefore, we ask you to cooperate and follow the Solemn Entrance and the Holy Mass through social media. 

After the Patriarch’s Solemn Entrance to his Cathedral and on taking possession of his patriarchal cathedra in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, he will return to the Co-Cathedral at the Patriarchate where a short ceremony will be held, during which His Beatitude, the Patriarch, will greet the faithful present – priests of the Latin Patriarchate, Parish Priests, and representatives of Religious Men and Women communities, at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4, 2020. Those present at the Latin Patriarchate Church will be able to follow the ceremony, displayed on a screen inside the Co-Cathedral.

In the days following his installation and his First Pontifical Mass, beginning on Sunday, December 6, 2020, His Beatitude, Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, will receive all delegations or personages who wish to express their congratulations, provided they have made prior reservation by contacting the office of the Patriarch’s personal secretary, Father Firas AbedRabbo: +972 54 970 6400 or the Chancellor, Father Ibrahim Shomali: +972 54 970 6444. A delegation will consist of no more than ten (10) people to preserve public safety.

We thank you for your kind cooperation.

Gratefully yours,

Father Ibrahim Shomali
Chancellor