Why has the Pope suddenly parachuted two Italian Franciscan priests into the most prestigious Catholic posts in the Holy Land? Both men are non-Arabic speaking.
On May 20, Fr Francesco Patton took over as Custos of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. Last week, the Pope announced that Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who had been Custos for the past 12 years, was to be made an archbishop and apostolic administrator sede vacante of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which covers Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.
