November 11, 2013

A festive mass signaling the closing stages of the Year of Faith – which Pope Benedict XVI declared to run October 11, 2012 – November 24, 2013 – will be led by His Beatitude, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Tual at Mount Precipice in Nazareth. Thousands of Catholic pilgrims from across the globe are expected to take part in the November 17 mass.

“The event is taking place in accordance with the policy of the ministry and the State of Israel. We attach great importance to our links with the Catholic Church. The Tourism Ministry, in cooperation with the Church, will continue to work to provide all the tools that enable the faithful to celebrate their customs in the Holy Land,” said Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau.

Choirs from Catholic communities around the world will precede the Mass. There will also be food and souvenir stalls set up throughout Nazareth.

In 2012, over two million Christian tourists and pilgrims arrived in Israel, representing about 60 percent of all incoming tourism.

Read more: