The lack of pilgrims and tourists was an added burden, as the many holy sites are normally teeming with people.
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri launched the annual appeal for donations to support Christians in the Holy Land. The collection will take place on Good Friday.
In a note published by the Vatican, he said that “in 2020, the Christians of those lands suffered an isolation that made them feel even more distant, cut off from vital contact with the brethren from various countries of the world.”
The worldwide lockdowns were an added burden to many people in the Holy Land whose livelihoods depend largely on income from pilgrimages to the many religious sites.
The crisis left countless people unemployed, and in many countries, “the persistence of war and sanctions compounded the effects of the pandemic.”
The results of last year's collection are still being quantified, but Card. Sandri notes that the total fell short of the usual amount.
