POPE FRANCIS IN THE HOLY LAND

24-26 MAY 2014

Pilgrimage of His Holiness Francis in the Holy Land on the occasion of the 50
th
anniversary
of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras. Program:
Saturday, May 24, 2014
13:00: Arrival at Amman
13:45: Arrival Ceremony in the al-Husseini Royal Palace in Amman. Courtesy visit to
their Majesties the King and Queen of Jordan
14:20: Meeting with the authorities of the Kingdom of Jordan. Discourse
16:00: Holy Mass at the International Stadium in Amman. Homily of the Holy Father
19:00: Visit to the Baptismal Site at Bethany beyond the Jordan
19:15: Meeting with refugees and disabled young people in the Latin church at Bethany
beyond the Jordan. Discourse of the Holy Father
Sunday, May 25, 2014
8:15: Departure from Jordan to Bethlehem
9:30: Arrival Ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Bethlehem. Courtesy visit to the
President of the State of Palestine
10:00: Meeting with the Palestinian Authority Discourse of the Holy Father
11:00: Holy Mass in Bethlehem. Homily of the Holy Father
13:30: Lunch with Palestinian families in the convent of Casa Nova in Bethlehem
15:00: Private visit to the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem
15:20: Greeting of children from the refugee camps of Deheisheh, Aida and Beit Jibrin at
the Phoenix Center of the Deheisheh Refugee Camp
15:45: Departure from the State of Palestine
16:30: Arrival Ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Discourse
17:15: Transfer by helicopter to Jerusalem
17:45: Arrival at the helicopter port of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus
18:15: Private meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the Apostolic
Delegation in Jerusalem. Signing of a joint declaration.
19.00: Ecumenical Meeting on the occasion of the 50
th
anniversary of the meeting in
Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in the Basilica of the Holy
Sepulcher. Discourse of the Holy Father
20:15: Dinner with the Patriarchs and Bishops and the Papal suite at the Latin
Patriarchate
Monday, May 26, 2014
8:15: Visit to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in the building of the Great Council on the
Esplanade of the Mosques. Discourse of the Holy Father
9:10: Visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem
9:45: Laying a wreath at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem
10.00: Visit to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Discourse of the Holy Father
10:45: Courtesy visit to the two Chief Rabbis at Heichal Shlomo Center in Jerusalem,
next to the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. Discourse of the Holy Father
11:45: Courtesy visit to the President of the State of Israel at the presidential residence in
Jerusalem. Discourse of the Holy Father
13:00: Private audience with the Prime Minister of Israel at Notre Dame
13:30: Lunch with the Papal suite at Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem
15:30: Private visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople at the building next to
the Orthodox church of Viri Galileai on the Mount of Olives
16:00: Meeting with priests, men and women religious and seminarians in the church of
Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Discourse of the Holy Father
17:20: Holy mass with the Ordinaries of the Holy Land and the Papal Suite in the room
of the Cenacle in Jerusalem. Homily of the Holy Father
20:15 Departure from Tel Aviv for Ciampino Airport in Rome


His visit to the region commemorates the 50th anniversary of the landmark meeting between
Pope Paul VI and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians at the time, Patriarch
Athenagoras, in Jerusalem. The Holy Land visit is the first for Francis as leader of the Roman
Catholic Church, and just the fourth for any pontiff in the modern era. Francis has called the
reasons behind his Holy Land excursion strictly religious, describing it as a pilgrimage for
prayer.The pontiff is traveling with two friends -- a rabbi, Abraham Skorka, and a Muslim,
Sheikh Omar Abboud, who leads Argentina's Muslim community. The Vatican says its the first
time that a popes official entourage has included interfaith leaders and said their presence is
symbolic of his call for unity.
On the first day of his trip, Pope Francis visited Jordan. His first stop was at al-Husseini Royal
Palace in Amman, where he met with Jordan's King Abdullah II, praising Jordan's efforts to
promote interfaith tolerance and to the welcome that the small nation has given to Palestinian
refugees and, more recently, those fleeing war-torn Syria. The Pope said it was "necessary and
urgent" that a peaceful solution is found to the crisis in Syria. He also gave a message of unity as
he celebrated Mass at a stadium in Amman, Jordan -- a majority Muslim nation with a significant
Christian community. In his homily, Francis spoke of the need for tolerance and diversity and
urged everyone to put aside grievances and divisions. Christian refugees from Syria, Iraq and the
Palestinian territories were among those present, and 1,400 children received their First
Communion at the Mass. He also visited the Jordan River, where many Christians believe Jesus
was baptized.
The second day of his trip marked his arrival in the West Bank, the start of the most sensitive
part of his three-day Middle East tour aimed at forging regional peace and easing an age-old rift
within Christianity.
In a joint press conference with President Abbas, Francis expressed his desire to advance peace
which rests on the acknowledgment by all of the right of two States to exist and to live in peace
and security within internationally recognized borders, and called on all sides to pursue a path
to peace together and not take unilateral actions to disrupt it. I can only express my profound
hope that all will refrain from initiatives and actions which contradict the stated desire to reach a
true agreement, and that peace will be pursued with tireless determination and tenacity. Peace
will bring countless benefits for the peoples of this region and for the world as a whole. And so it
must resolutely be pursued, even if each side has to make certain sacrifices, said the Pope.
In his remarks, Pope Francis also called on Abbas to protect the religious rights of Palestinian
Catholics, expressing concern over the emigration of Palestinian Christians.The pontiff also took
a stand for the poor, suffering under tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. "Even in the
absence of violence, the climate of instability and a lack of mutual understanding have produced
insecurity, the violation of rights, isolation and the flight of entire communities, conflicts,
shortages and sufferings of every sort," he said.
Abbas called upon the Pope " to contribute towards enabling our people to attain their freedom
and full independence, by bringing the Israeli occupation to a complete end and establishing an
independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital." Abbas also stressed the precarious situation
facing Palestinians as a result of the construction of the Israeli separation wall as well as policies
of mass incarceration that have left thousands of Palestinians in Israeli prisons: "Your Holiness,
you saw the monstrous wall being constructed by Israel, the occupying power on our land, at a
time when we desperately needed to build bridges of communication and dialogue rather than
anything that would sow the seeds of hatred, malice, and hostility. We, the people, are looking to
live in freedom and dignity and to have sovereignty over our national soil, away from the
occupation. We have fully updated His Holiness on the outcome of the peace process and the
pitfalls and obstacles which befell it, primarily the settlement enterprise, and daily attacks on
places of worship including churches and mosques, as well as the continued detention of
thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, who yearn for freedom. A number of these
prisoners have been on hunger strike for more than 30 days in protest against ill-treatment and
detention without trial or verdict, under the pretext of "administrative detention."
The importance of this visit to the West Bank lies on the message it delivered through a subtle
recognition of the State of Palestine, as it was perceived by Israelis, Palestinians and the
international community. In its official programme, the Vatican referred to Mr Abbas as the
President of the state of Palestine. The fact that he is coming straight from Jordan to
Bethlehem, without going through Israel is a tacit recognition of a Palestinian state, said Hanan
Ashrawi, a Palestinian Christian who is a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
The State of Palestine was recognized as an observer state by the UN General Assembly in
November 2012, part of its efforts to obtain statehood without depending on peace talks with
Israel. The added recognition of the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics is undoubtedly
helpful to these efforts. Furthermore, after meeting Mr Abbas, the pope drove through Bethlehem
in an open-top car to Manger Square where he gave a mass that was attended by nearly 10,00
people. He dedicated his mass to the theme of children, ahead of a meeting with children in the
Dheisheh refugee camp and a lunch with refugee families in a huge morale boost for
Palestinians, who have called on him to help end Israeli occupation.
In a symbolically charged moment, he also stopped the vehicle to cross over to the separation
barrier erected by Israel, its surface daubed with graffiti including the words "Free Palestine!"
The wall, which surrounds three sides of Bethlehem, has become a symbol for Israels enemies
and sticking point for the Catholic Church since it inconveniences the Christian community who
are largely Palestinian. Francis prayed near graffiti slogans including Bethlehem looks like a
Warsaw ghetto.There, arm outstretched, he touched the concrete wall, his head apparently
bowed in prayer. He said, "There is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating
the conditions for a stable peace based on justice, on the recognition of rights for every
individual, and on mutual security." And the road to peace "must resolutely be pursued, even if
each side has to make certain sacrifices."Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestine
National Initiative, told CNN, "The Pope did not only put his hand on a concrete wall. He put his
hand on occupation. He put his hand on (an) apartheid system, on a system of separation, and
discrimination, and oppression." The move was mostly seen as a support for Palestinians.
Pope Francis extended an invitation to the leaders of Israel and Palestine to travel to the Vatican
for a "peace initiative," after earlier calling for a two-state solution to the intractable conflict. The
pontiff's remarks came at the end of the Mass in Bethlehem's Manger Square, saying: "In this,
the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together
with Israeli President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace,"
Francis said. "I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer." Therefore,
the three-day visit has been deemed a diplomatic success, despite some early controversy, after
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres agreed to travel to the
Vatican next month for talks.
During the same day, the Pope was transferred to Israel, where he was officially welcomed by
the President and the Prime Minister of Israel. Reactions against the Popes visit were noted
among conservative Israelis in the previous days. Early Sunday, police arrested 26 Israelis for
throwing stones at police officers and causing disturbances at a Jerusalem holy site where the
Pope would elebrate Mass at the end of his trip, Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.
According to Catholic tradition, the site marks the Last Supper of Jesus, but it is also said to
house King Davids tomb. Religious Jews demonstrated at the holy site to protest rumours that
Israel will transfer control of the site to the Vatican. They believe Christians should not hold
religious services, as Pope Francis did on Sunday, so close to a Jewish holy site, and they worry
that Israel will turn the Cenacle over to the Vatican during the Popes visit, something that did
not happen.
The Pope met with the head of Eastern Orthodox Christians in Jerusalem the Ecumenical
Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, who was the one who extended the invitation to the
Pope to visit the Holy Land on the 50thanniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope
Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. On the 25th of May,
Francis and Bartholomew signed a joint declaration outlining common principles and a potential
path forward to greater unity. Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew also celebrated a joint
religious service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the first time the Eastern
Orthodox and Roman Catholic leaders have held such a service in 50 years. Their joint
declaration stated, among others: Our meeting, another encounter of the Bishops of the
Churches of Rome and Constantinople founded respectively by the two Brothers the Apostles
Peter and Andrew, is a source of profound spiritual joy for us. It presents a providential occasion
to reflect on the depth and the authenticity of our existing bonds, themselves the fruit of a grace-
filled journey on which the Lord has guided us since that blessed day of fifty years ago Our
fraternal encounter today is a new and necessary step on the journey towards the unity to which
only the Holy Spirit can lead us, that of communion in legitimate diversity. Well aware that
unity is manifested in love of God and love of neighbour, we look forward in eager anticipation
to the day in which we will finally partake together in the Eucharistic banquet. From this holy
city of Jerusalem, we express our shared profound concern for the situation of Christians in the
Middle East and for their right to remain full citizens of their homelands. In trust we turn to the
almighty and merciful God in a prayer for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East in
general. We especially pray for the Churches in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, which have suffered most
grievously due to recent events. We encourage all parties regardless of their religious convictions
to continue to work for reconciliation and for the just recognition of peoples rights. We are
persuaded that it is not arms, but dialogue, pardon and reconciliation that are the only possible
means to achieve peace.
In Jerusalem, the Pope also met the citys grand mufti and chief rabbis, visited the Western Wall
and Yad Vashem (a memorial to the Holocaust), laid a wreath on the grave of the founder of
modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl.
Standing in front of the Western Wall, the Pontiff hugged his two friends, Argentine Rabbi
Abraham Skorka and leader of the South American country's Muslim Community, Omar
Abboud. Both men were part of the inter-faith delegation. Pope Francis, in accordance with
Jewish tradition left a note in a crack in the Western Wall calling for peace and understanding
between the three religions. He bowed his head solemnly at the site, which is regarded as the one
of the most sacred places in Judaism due to its proximity to the Temple Mount.
Pope Francis also visited the Dome of the Rock which is the third most holy site in Islam. In a
mark of respect, Pope Francis removed his shoes before stepping into the gold-topped dome
where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammad ascended into heaven. The mosque is known to
Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The area is central to a
territorial dispute between both religions. Pope Francis addressed the grand mufti of Jerusalem
and other Muslim dignitaries as 'dear brothers' during this morning's address.
Francis' gesture at the wall and at the terrorism memorial -- head bowed in prayer, right hand
touching the stone -- was the same he used a day earlier when he made an impromptu stop at the
Israeli separation barrier surrounding Bethlehem. Israel says the massive concrete barrier is
necessary for its security, while the Palestinians say it has engulfed the West Bank land and
suffocated the biblical town.
At Israel's request, Francis deviated from his whirlwind itinerary to pray at Jerusalem's Victims
of Acts of Terror Memorial, giving the Jewish state his full attention a day after voicing strong
support for the Palestinian cause. The memorial includes the names of hundreds of civilians
killed in Palestinian and Arab attacks since 1851.
At the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Francis prayed before a crypt with ashes of victims
and laid a wreath of yellow and white flowers in the "Hall of Remembrance." Then one by one,
he kissed the hands of a half-dozen Holocaust survivors in a sign of humility and honor as he
heard their stories and of loved ones killed by the Nazis during World War II. "Never again,
Lord, never again!" Francis said. "Here we are, Lord, shamed by what man -- created in your
own image and likeness -- was capable of doing."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained to Francis Israel's rationale for building the wall
while they were at the terrorism memorial, his office said. Netanyahu asked Francis to add the
memorial to his itinerary at the last minute, and showed him the section dedicated to the victims
of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish association in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.The
Argentinian-born Francis was an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires at the time of the attack and
later became archbishop. "I explained to the pope that constructing the fence (separation barrier)
prevented many more victims of Palestinian terror, which continues today," Netanyahu said.
A playful conversation concerning the language that Jesus spoke took place between the Pople
and Prime Minister Netanuahu. Jesus was here, in this land. He spoke Hebrew, Netanyahu
said, discussing the strong connection between Judaism and Christianity. Pope Francis looked up
and slightly pointed his finger. Aramaic, he corrected. Netanyahu quickly recovered: He
spoke Aramaic, but he knew Hebrew. The correction was gentle, even playfultypical Pope
Francis style.
His meeting with the Israeli President Shimon Peres was highly friendly. The two spoke about
the initiative before planting an olive tree -- a sign of peace -- in the garden of Peres' official
residence. Francis praised Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, for his efforts to solve the
conflict."You are known as a man of peace and a maker of peace, and I express my admiration
and thankfulness for your attitude," Francis said."We would be honored to offer such a prayer
either in our home or yours, in accordance with your kind offer," Peres said. He said he believed
Francis' visit would contribute to revitalizing the peace process with the Palestinians, "based on
two states living in peace, a Jewish state, Israel, and an Arab state, Palestine."

In general, the Pontiff has used his three day trip as a major diplomatic exercise having visited
several of the most sensitive sites in the Muslim and Jewish world. He visited the Western Wall
which is the holiest place in the Jewish world, paying homage to Jews murdered by the Nazis
during World War Two, and also prayed at the wall which dividing Bethlehem and Jerusalam
which was seen as hugely symbolic. The whole of the visit was highly controversial, but also
successful, as he issued a unique invitation to Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to pray with him at the Vatican to end the increasingly
unacceptable Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as snatched a personal moment at Israels
controversial security barrier. The move was seen by the Israeli press as unfriendly, nevertheless,
the importance of the visit cannot be undermined, as a general message of unity among the
peoples and all religions was clearly passed.