Papal nuncio to speak at fundraising dinner in Indianapolis

By Sean Gallagher

The Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land (FFHL), which supports the Catholic Church in Israel and Palestine, will host a fundraising dinner on May 3 at the Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, will attend the dinner and talk about his diplomatic experience in the Holy Land.

From 1998 to 2005, Archbishop Sambi served as the apostolic nuncio to Israel and apostolic delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine.

As apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Sambi serves as the ambassador for the Holy See to the United States and as the liaison between the Holy See and the Church in this country.

Also attending the dinner will be Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the retired archbishop of Washington; Franciscan Father Peter Vasko, president of the FFHL; and Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Custos of the Holy Land.

As Custos, Father Pierbattista oversees the care of many of the holy sites in Israel and Palestine.

The event will start with a reception at 6 p.m. Those who purchase tickets before March 25 will be able to meet Archbishop Sambi and have a photo taken with him during the reception.

The dinner and presentation by the apostolic nuncio will follow the reception. A live auction will conclude the evening.

Tickets for the dinner, if purchased by March 25, cost $175. After that date, tickets are $200.

The event will raise funds specifically to support the Franciscan Boys Home in Bethlehem, which was established in March 2007. It is a place where boys from troubled families may live while attending a Franciscan school in the city.

Richard Sontag, public relations director for the FFHL and a member of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis, said the involvement of Archbishop Sambi in the dinner would be notable for anyone who is interested in the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

“He’s deeply, deeply entrenched in the truth of what is going on in the Holy Land,” Sontag said. “I think that will be of great interest. I think his experience speaks for itself.”

(For more information, to purchase tickets or to assist with the dinner, call 866-905-3787. Log on to www.ffhl.org for more information about the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land.) †