⁍ Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Vatican’s apostolic administrator in the Holy Land, has been named as the new Patriarch of Jerusalem by Pope Francis.

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⁍ Pizzaballa, 55, a Franciscan friar, has served as the acting Patriarch for four years.

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⁍ The diocese covers Israel and the Palestinian territories as well as Jordan and Cyprus, a region which is home to an estimated 300,000 Roman Catholics.

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– “We must not be discouraged,” Reuters quotes Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa as saying. “Together with the many problems, we also have the resources, the desire, and the strength to look forward with confidence, capable of living the ambiguity of this time with Christian hope.” The 55-year-old Italian was on Saturday named the new Patriarch of Jerusalem by Pope Francis, Reuters reports. Pizzaballa has served as the Vatican’s apostolic administrator in the Holy Land for the past four years, during which time the Holy Land’s churches were closed throughout Easter due to the spread of the coronavirus.