Vatican City: Similar to previous years, the Vatican Friday Morning of Thanksgiving will again be used for the upliftment of Christian brothers in the Middle East. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, head of the Vatican Congregation for Eastern Missions, wrote to the bishops around the world, requesting that they donate as much as possible. The Cardinal reminded Christians in the Middle East that they are going through grief and challenges and need the help of the global Catholic community.
The main source of help for Christians in the Holy Land is traditionally the congregations of mourning on Fridays. Donations are mainly to support the Christian community in Jerusalem, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. The Vatican hands the money to the Franciscan Church, which oversees the Holy Land.
The funds will be used for the maintenance of ancient heritage churches, for the pastoral needs of the Christians in the region, for the maintenance of schools and charities, and for the training of seminary students. The Vatican Press Office has also released Cardinal Sandri’s letter detailing the $ 82 trillion he received last year as a thank-you note. 32 lakhs were spent for the educational and spiritual upliftment of clergy, monks and seminary students.
