Former Custos to administer Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
June 24, 2016
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Patriarch Fouad Twal, 75, as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and has named Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa as apostolic administrator, raising him to the dignity of an archbishop.
Archbishop Pizzaballa, 51, served as Custos of the Holy Land from 2004 to May 2016 and will administer the patriarchate until a new patriarch is named. The Custos serves as provincial superior of the Franciscans in the Middle East and is entrusted with the pastoral care of pilgrims to the Holy Land’s shrines.
Since 1987, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has hailed from modern-day Israel or Jordan. During the previous four centuries, Italians were consistently appointed to the see.
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