The municipal authorities of Czestochowa, the Polish city famous for its sanctuary of the Black Madonna or of Jasna Gòra (Mountain of Light) and called “the spiritual capital of Poland”, have paid an official visit to the Holy Land. The mayor of the city, Tadeusz Wrona, accompanied by a delegation, signed two twinning decrees: the first with Nazareth on 2 December, and the second with Bethlehem on 7 December. In recent years Czestochowa has devoted its efforts to the creation of an Association of Sanctuary Cities of Europe (Shrines of Europe). Lourdes, Fatima, Altotting, Loreto and Mariazell already form part of it. The twinning document, signed in the Holy Land, declares: “Let us open up to our society, and especially to the young, the chance of dialogue with the people of Israel and Palestine. The twinning will unite the cities of the three great religions of the world: Christianity, Judaism and Islam in a spirit of peace”. The delegation visited the Holy Places and met with the Polish Franciscans who act as their custodians in the Holy Land.
