On Monday, March 23, 2026, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, accompanied by Fr Nikola di Ponzio, visited Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem on the occasion of his assumption of duties as the new Apostolic Delegate (Nuncio), that is, Representative of the Holy See in the Holy Land.
Patriarch Theophilos received the Apostolic Delegate cordially and spoke with him concerning the manifold work which the Patriarchate has carried out for centuries in the Holy Land, throughout its jurisdiction in Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and Qatar, in times of peace and in times of war, in cooperation with the other Christian Churches of the Holy Land and with the advocacy and support of diplomatic representatives of states which uphold the Patriarchate in its struggle to preserve and protect the Status Quo of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Holy Shrines.
Patriarch Theophilos wished His Excellency the Apostolic Delegate a fruitful ministry and cooperation with the Patriarchate, presenting to him a silver icon of Jerusalem and a medal struck by the Patriarchate to mark the completion of two thousand years of Christianity in the Holy Land.
The Apostolic Delegate thanked Patriarch Theophilos and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the Patriarchate in fulfilling its mission.
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem
