The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, is visiting the UK this week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem’s Lieutenancy in England and Wales.
Patriarch Pizzaballa is meeting with Cardinal Vincent Nichols on Thursday 28 November ahead of a parliamentary reception at the Palace of Westminster to meet with MPs and civil servants.
Late afternoon on Thursday sees the Patriarch visit the Order of Malta’s Grand Priory of Great Britain where he will meet with members and celebrate vespers.
The following day, Friday 29 November, Patriarch Pizzaballa will greet the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, in person and virtually, when visiting the Bishops’ Conference where he will celebrate Mass and meet secretariat staff.
In the evening, he will attend the Investiture Vigil at Arms with Benediction at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark. Archbishop John Wilson KC*HS, Archbishop of Southwark and the Grand Prior of the Lieutenancy of England and Wales, will preside and preach at the vigil.
The Lieutenancy, established in 1954, will celebrate a Mass of Investiture for new Knights and Dames in St George’s Cathedral on Saturday, 30 November. Patriarch Pizzaballa will preside and preach at the Mass.
The following day, on Sunday, 1 December, the Latin Patriarch will preach at a Solemn Mass for the First Sunday of Advent at Westminster Cathedral. Cardinal Vincent Nichols will preside.
On Sunday evening, His Beatitude will travel to Scotland to be hosted by the Scottish Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. There he will celebrate Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, before a day of meetings and receptions.
Cardinal Pizzaballa will return to Jerusalem on the evening of Tuesday 3 December.
