Cardinal O’Brien on first visit to Holy Land

Cardinal O’Brien was welcomed at Jaffa Gate in the evening of Monday, November 26, 2012 by the Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal and other heads of the Catholic Church and representatives of the other Christian communities. On Tuesday afternoon, November 27, 2012, the Cardinal made his formal entry into the Holy Sepulcher and spent the rest of the day visiting the different Church authorities, including the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Patriarchates and the Custody of the Holy Land.

The Cardinal Grand Master’s first visit to the Holy Land will last six days during which time he will spend time in Israel, Palestine and Jordan. A highlight of the visit will be the inauguration of the new school in Rameh (Upper Galilee) built with the support of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher.

Cardinal O’Brien succeeded the late Cardinal Foley as Grand Master and was named to the post earlier this year. He had previously served as the Archbishop of Baltimore in the United States.

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, founded in the nineteenth century, has as its main purpose the support of the works of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Among the many beneficiaries of the generosity of the Knights is also the Saint James Vicariate for Hebrew Speaking Catholics in Israel.