Bearing witness to the spiritual closeness of the Holy Father to the local Christian communities and bringing them a gift on the Pope’s behalf: this is the meaning of the journey of the president of the Papal Council "Cor Unum", mgr. Paul Josef Cordes, to the Holy Land from 13th to 19th December. For the pastoral visit that Benedict XVI paid last September to Bavaria, the congregations of the dioceses of Munich, Ratisbon and Passau have organised a fund-raising campaign in order to help the Christians of the Holy Land. So far one million euros have been raised, which mgr. Cordes will take, on the Pope’s behalf, to father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, director of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
