Luigi Barlassina : The Patriarch Who Anticipated Events and Defended Justice and Truth in the Holy Land

In these days, we are living through Holy Week, as the world's attention turns to Jerusalem, where the Way of the Cross and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are, and where prayers are offered for peace, justice, and tranquility, and where the Holy Land has tasted the might of Herod's tyranny. In this spiritual atmosphere, we find it appropriate to recall and introduce new generations to the Patriarch of the Holy City for Latins, the late Patriarch Luigi Barlassina, who played a pivotal role on both the spiritual and social levels, as well as in the intellectual and political spheres, during the first half of the twentieth century. At that stage, projects of expulsion and replacement in Palestine were at their peak, and he was among the first to sound the alarm bells, warning of the repercussions of these schemes. Luigi Barlassina was the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem during one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Holy Land, from his election in 1920 until his death in 1947 due to a heart attack. His years were characterized by continuous defense of the land and its people, while ensuring that the Holy See was kept informed of the events and challenges facing the Church and Palestinian society, and meticulously documenting everything that was happening daily. Luigi Barlassina was born on April 30, 1872, in Turin, Italy, and lost his father at an early age. His mother raised him in an atmosphere of piety and devotion, with a special emphasis on great reverence for the Virgin Mary, a devotion that characterized him throughout his life. He was ordained a priest on December 22, 1894, and was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1918, then patriarchal vicar general and apostolic administrator, before being elected Patriarch in 1920, becoming the main voice of the Latin Church in Jerusalem for 27 years. The Patriarch was known for his generous and humble personality, refusing official titles such as "His Beatitude" or "Monsignor," preferring to be called "Abouna" (Our Father), because he wanted to be a true father to souls. From the beginning of his service, he showed great interest in youth and education, establishing groups and initiatives that combined religious and physical education. He also focused on preaching and developing schools and churches, leaving a clear impact on the local community. He was the one who founded the first ecclesiastical university college in West Jerusalem, which is known today as Terra Santa College or Cardinal Ferrari College. On the spiritual level, Patriarch Barlassina was faithful to the tradition of worship. He gave the title "Our Lady of Palestine" to the Virgin Mary and established a shrine in the Râfat monastery, adorned with a statue and inscriptions of the Angel's greeting in 280 languages, so that these symbols would remain a testament to his deep love for the Holy Land and its people. He also restored the seminary in Beit Jala after it was damaged in World War I, securing Catholic education for young people, and following up on students' affairs even after the renovation was completed, composing ecclesiastical and liturgical books for them, and visiting them regularly. He also contributed to promoting religious celebrations, most notably the reorganization of the Palm Sunday procession in 1933, after it had been banned for more than 700 years, on the occasion of the Holy Year, where worshippers set off from the Mount of Olives carrying palm fronds to the courtyard of St. Anne's Church, in a scene that affirmed Jerusalem's spiritual and historical centrality. The Patriarch dedicated long hours to writing and correspondence in several languages, documenting political, social, economic, and religious events, leaving a valuable legacy that reflects his wisdom, insight, and deep loyalty to the Holy Land and its people. In this context, he sent several messages to Christian parishioners in particular, warning of the disintegration of the social fabric due to what he described as a newly introduced moral decline, and what might result from it in terms of moving away from the traditions and culture of society. Since 1917, with the announcement of the Balfour Declaration and the beginning of the British Mandate, the Patriarch noticed what was being plotted in Palestine, and his positions were firm, clear, and unwavering. He bravely defended the Palestinian people and their land, which earned him great enmity and attempts to remove him from his position. He fiercely defended the preservation of the historical status quo, as there were serious attempts by the British Mandate to violate the "Status Quo." There are several letters in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, written by the Patriarch to the presidency, warning of these attempts. Many documents in the archives of the Secretariat of the Holy See have documented these facts, including an unsigned letter addressing the issue of the Patriarch's removal from Jerusalem, which influential capitals and groups sought. Despite all these campaigns, the Patriarch did not stop performing his mission. He wrote daily to the Holy See, informing them of events in Palestine, warning of the dangers threatening the Holy Land and ecclesiastical interests, and demanding effective intervention to prevent the deterioration of conditions and protect the Holy Land from attempts to seize it from its indigenous inhabitants, and expressing his great concern for the Christian presence in historical Palestine. He also monitored the increasing support for the Jewish Agency, pointing out that it was at the expense of the inhabitants of the Holy Land, and at the same time he firmly confronted any attempts to sow discord or conflict between Muslims and Christians. In one of his letters to Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, Secretary of State of the Vatican, according to protocol number 158/22 mentioned above, he stressed the importance of urgent intervention to protect the rights of the inhabitants and preserve the unity of religious communities in Palestine. In an honorable stance witnessed by history, Patriarch Barlassina, in the last moments, proceeded to purchase the lands of the Tayasir and Tubas areas, at the request of Haj Amin al-Husseini at the time, to prevent the leakage of the area's lands. Patriarch Barlassina truly loved the Holy Land and its people, and bravely defended the Church and its honor, achieving a rare balance between personal humility and firmness in positions, so that his name remains etched in history as a symbol of loyalty, justice, and the defense of truth and the oppressed. Anyone who reviews the archives of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem or the historical archives of the Secretariat of State in the Vatican – Section for Relations with States and International Organizations – will discover the honorable positions of the Patriarch and fully realize the centrality of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and its pivotal role in the Holy Land, a role that the Patriarchate continues to adopt to this day. * Ambassador of Palestine to the Holy See