History

In recent years the situation of Christians in the Holy Land has been very difficult, both in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories and in Israel itself. Jerusalem in particular, Holy City for Christians, Jews and Muslims, has unfortunately been the site of continuous tensions.

The Old City of Jerusalem is considered by UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. The ancient walls enclose an area of 900,000 m² that is subdivided into four quarters: Christian, Armenian, Jewish and Muslim. There are approximately 40,000 inhabitants. Population densities vary from quarter to quarter, but overall the historical center can certainly be said to be overpopulated.

The Franciscans of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land have for many centuries possessed a large number of buildings in this area: in addition to convents and Churches, the Custody maintains approximately 480 residential housing units within the Old City. These are made available to the neediest among the Christian families, who pay a symbolic rent to the Custody of the Holy Land. However, many of the dwellings are dilapidated and unable to offer healthy, safe and comfortable living conditions. It is a real housing emergency, and one which has impelled the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land to undertake an extensive program of interventions within the Old City of Jerusalem.

The decision to take on and train local personnel is consistent with the long-standing tradition of the Franciscans in the Holy Land, who have always been actively involved in the education field, notably for the education and training of Christians in the Holy Land. At the beginning of the last century the Franciscan friars initiated major iron, stone and wood workshops, teaching modern construction techniques (the Franciscans were responsible, for example, for the first building in the Old City of Jerusalem to use reinforced concrete) and providing employment for hundreds of local Christian youths. They are continuing to carry out this initiative today, employing local workers in the reconstruction and preservation of buildings in the Holy City of Jerusalem, particularly those within the Old City. Similar initiatives of employment and training of local youth and workers are currently being carried out by the Franciscans of the Holy Land as part of the works in progress at Monte Nebo (in Jordan), at Sebastian and through the collaboration with the Mosaic Center of Jericho.