The Supreme Patriarch of the Catholic Community in the Middle East since 2020. He serves as “Custos of the Holy Land” – the person in charge of the holy places in the Land of Israel – and serves as Acting Ambassador of the Vatican. He began his ordination in the Franciscan Order in the province of Emilia-Romagna (Italy), in 1984.He was ordained as a priest in 1990. Pizzaballa completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Theology in Rome. He began serving as Custois of the Holy Land in 1997, studied Theology at the Franciscan Biblical School (Studium Biblicum Franciscanum) in Jerusalem and completed his Master’s degree at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
He also served between 2005-2008 as Deputy to the Latin Patriarch, Michel Sabbah, for the affairs of the Hebrew-Speaking Christian-Catholic Community, and since March 18, 2008 he is a member of the Commission for Christian-Jewish Relations of the Vatican.