The Day or Collection for the Holy Places 2026, which takes place this Good Friday, and the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain from June 6 to 12, is a wonderful opportunity to show personal and community commitment to the Church. And to collaborate, also in the economic field, with the Christians of the Holy Land, and with the needs of the coming of Pope Leo XIV to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands at the beginning of June.
Agreement with Israel
The news of last weekend in the Holy Land, with the impossibility for Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Franciscan Father Francesco Ielpo, custodian of the Holy Land, to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday, provoked important reactions in Christian media with a harsh press release.
However, the waters have returned to their course. Israel has rectified, The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land confirm that the Israel Police will “guarantee access to the representatives of the Churches so that they can celebrate the liturgies and ceremonies and preserve the ancient Paschal traditions in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher”.
“Religious faith, supreme human value. Freedom of worship.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa and Franciscan Custos Father Francesco Ielpo “emphasized that religious faith is a supreme human value, shared by all religions: Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze and others. Especially in times of difficulty and conflict, such as those we are currently experiencing, safeguarding freedom of worship remains a fundamental and shared duty”.
Day for the Holy Places 2026
The Pope Leo XIV made a call to prayer and support for Christians in the Middle East at the Angelus on Sunday, at the beginning of the Passion of Our Lord.
This aid is urgently needed because of the Day for the Holy Places 2026, The Pontifical Collection, which takes place on Good Friday and throughout Holy Week with the Pontifical Collection in the bishoprics, parishes, convents, brotherhoods, religious schools, etc., of the 48 dioceses that comprise the territory of this Commissariat of the Holy Land of the Immaculate Conception in Spain.
“Holy Land, the spiritual homeland of every Christian person”.”
The team of the Commissariat of the Custody of the Holy Land, led by Commissary Fr. Pedro González González, ofm, and Vice Commissary Fr. Luis Quintana Giménez, ofm, is grateful for the “valuable collaboration of the last year 2025”He underlines that “in a certain sense, the Holy Land is the spiritual homeland of every Christian person”.
The Pontifical Collection for the Holy Places is scheduled to take place during the Good Friday services, although it may not be the most suitable day, they point out, since there is only one celebration per church or parish church and, frequently, with little attendance of the faithful. “There are quite a few dioceses and parishes that do it in another liturgical moment of Holy Week”.
Christians in the Holy Land, especially those in need, awaiting pilgrimages
“The aim is to collect contributions from the faithful to help the Christians of the Holy Places,” they explain, “especially needy after more than two years with hardly any income because of the war. We hope that the pilgrimages will continue to grow in strength, since they are the other main source of their income”.
Practical information for the Collection
The team of the Commissariat of the Holy Land informs that, once the collection has been made, it can be deposited in the account that the diocese has set up for this purpose or in the account of our Commissariat:
– Banco Santander (Bizum 00771). IBAN ES30 0075 7007 8606 0673 3003 Title: Immaculate Conception Province of the Order of Friars Minor Franciscan OFM
“If you choose this option, please indicate the name of the parish and diocese of origin. We thank you for your collaboration. May the Lord bless and reward your generosity”.
The Custody of the Holy Land was founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1217 at the Chapter of Mats and with the sending of the first friars to the Holy Land, and entrusted by Pope Clement VI to the Franciscans in 1342.
Custodial Activity
The Franciscans are custodians of evangelical sites in 55 sanctuaries, some of them under the authority of Orthodox, Muslim or Hebrew Christians, and exercise pastoral care in 24 parishes and 79 churches.
In addition, it directs educational activity in 15 schools and 3 vocational training centers. It provides 525 annual scholarships for university students, and supports social activity with more than 630 homes for needy families, 5 hospitals for the sick and orphaned children, 6 homes for pilgrims (more than 500 places for accommodation) and another 1,100 jobs in various activities. In Syria, it has rebuilt 1,300 houses for families in need.
Cardinal Cobo: “We will welcome Pope Leo XIV's visit with enthusiasm and hope”.”
On the other hand, a few days later, on April 12, the second Sunday of Easter, the Archdiocese of Madrid organized an extraordinary collection on the occasion of Pope Leo XIV's apostolic journey.
“This year we will celebrate Easter with a particular intensity,” wrote Cardinal José Cobo of Madrid to the people of Madrid. And after referring to the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ, the source of our most living hope (cf. 1 Pet 1:3), and to the renewal of the faith of all the baptized, he explains in a Pastoral letter that “we will welcome the visit of Pope Leo who is coming to meet with us, as part of his trip to various dioceses in Spain”.
Extraordinary collection in Madrid
Many people are working with great generosity to prepare this welcome to the Holy Father, and we prepare this visit of the Successor of Peter, and of the faithful who will come to our city, with enthusiasm, hope and spirit of service, adds the Cardinal.
But at the same time, there are logistical, infrastructure, security, transportation, technical development, audiovisual equipment and textile material needs, among others, that must be met.
Therefore, the Episcopal Delegation for Economy and General Administration of the archdiocese has sent a letter to all parish priests in which he calls for “a extraordinary collection on the occasion of the apostolic journey of Pope Leo XIV, who will visit Madrid from June 6 to 9”.
Contributions can be made now
According to the information provided, the contributions can be made by from now on through the following channels:
Bizum: 13884. IBAN: ES30 0049 6791 7222 1602 5571
Donation portal ‘I donate to my church’.
Delivered to the parishes indicating that it is for the papal visit: each community will pay it into the above bank account, set up by the Archbishopric for this purpose.
The Archdiocese also recalls that donations made to entities under the Patronage Law have important tax incentives:
If you donate €250, you can recover up to €200 on your next tax return (the 80% of your donation). From €250, you can deduct up to 40%.
Legal entities have a general deduction rate of 40%.
Each correctly identified donor will receive a certificate for his declaration. In order for this invitation to collaborate to reach all parishes and communities, the following can be downloaded here the promotional poster and an informative diptych.
For any need, email: delegacioneconomia@archidiocesis.madrid Tfno: 608324605.
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