Vatican: Israel, Palestinian peace prayer June 8

By NICOLE WINFIELD

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will join Pope Francis for an afternoon praying for peace at the Vatican on June 8, the Vatican said Thursday.

Francis had invited both men to "my home" to pray during his recent trip to the Middle East. Speaking from the biblical town of Bethlehem, Francis said: "Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment."

Both men immediately agreed, and subsequently approved the June 8 date, the Vatican said in a statement Thursday.

Francis has stressed that he is not seeking to jumpstart peace negotiations, but merely bring the two sides together to pray. He said he had arranged for a rabbi and a Muslim cleric to lead the prayers, along with him.

"It will be a prayer meeting. It's not to do mediation or find solutions," he told reporters on the flight home from Jerusalem on Monday. "We'll meet just to pray, and then everyone will go home. But I think praying is important, praying together."

He called both Abbas and Peres "men of peace."

The prospects of any breakthrough are slim. Peres, a 90-year-old Nobel peace laureate, holds a largely ceremonial office and is set to step down this summer. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed anger with politicians who have reached out to Abbas at a time when the Palestinian leader is reconciling with the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel considers Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, a terrorist group.

There was no comment Thursday from Netanyahu's office.

The latest round of U.S.-brokered peace negotiations collapsed in April.

Francis' prayer meeting falls on Pentecost Sunday, an important feast in the Catholic Church which celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. It formally marks the end of the Easter season, and Francis is due to celebrate Mass that morning in St. Peter's Basilica.

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Aron Heller in Jerusalem contributed.

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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

The Happiest Christians in the Middle East

by Drew Chrstiansen, SJ
America Magazine

Pope Francis arrives at airport in Amman, Jordan (CNS photo/Paul Haring) 

Beneath the Latin Church complex or “convent” in the village of Smakieh, Jordan, may be found a set of caverns unearthed by Francisan archeologists in the early twentieth century. 

The underground chambers date back to the Stone Age, but what makes them memorable are the small red crosses that mark them as the site of pilgrimages in the Middle Ages. There is evidence, however, that as early as the second century the rooms were used by Christians for their assemblies, making them one of the oldest extant Christian sites that may be still experienced in their ancient form.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, however, is home today to more than ruins of earliest Christianity. For six decades, since the Palestinian Nakba during the Israeli War for Independence, it has been a safe and welcoming refuge for Arab Christians. 

So hospitable has the monarchy been that the late patriarchal vicar for Jordan, auxiliary bishop Salim Sayegh once announced, “We are the happiest Christians in the Middle East.” The capital city of Amman alone hosts ten Roman Catholic parishes. In the country as a whole, there are 35 Latin parishes, not to mention Catholic churches of other traditions, and those of other denominations especially the more numerous Greek Orthodox.

The monarchy, under the leadership of the King’s uncle, Prince El Hassan bin Talal, has been the patron of interreligious studies and encounters for decades. The most recent was an agreement signed with Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, May 14, on interreligious education as an antidote to current problems. 

The best known initiative of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies was the 2007 open letter of Muslim scholars to Christian leaders “A Common Word Between Us and You,” responding to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s remarks on unreason and religious violence in his Regensburg University lecture the previous year.

King Abdullah II has been a strong supporter of Christian education, most recently backing the founding of the American University of Madaba, a project of the Latin Patriarchate. The king himself is a graduate of Georgetown University, and is hosting university president John DiGioia and his wife Teresa during today’s papal visit.

Jordan’s major contribution, however, has been as an asylum for refugees from violent convulsions in the region. In the early 1990s, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians fled ethnic cleansing campaigns by Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi dictator, in an effort to Arabize the Assyrians, one of the oldest Christian groups in the world, demolished their villages in their attempt to repress their use of Aramaic, the ancient language of Jesus. They were joined by some Chaldeans who, though they spoke both Arabic and Aramaic, feared the discrimination they faced as a minority in Iraqi cities. 

More Chaldeans (Assyrians in communion with Rome) fled Iraq from the sectarian conflict that ensued across Iraq after the American invasion in 2003. The latest wave of refugees to find asylum in Jordan  come from Syria, which itself had been an generous host to previous waves of Christian refugees.

Against the background of this history, the sober words of Pope Francis in accepting the welcome of King Abdullah and his court were well-deserved. “Jordan,” the pope said, “has offered a generous welcome to great numbers of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, as well as to other refugees from troubled areas, particularly neighboring Syria, ravaged by a conflict which has lasted all too long.” 

Diplomatically, the pope added, “Such generosity merits the appreciation and support of the international community.” For assistance to the three million Syrian refugees and displaced is grossly undersubscribed. Aid to refugees is, nonetheless, a leading requirement of the emerging post bellum principles of the Just War theory.

Drew Christiansen, S.J. , the former editor of America, is Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Global Human Development at Georgetown University. He is also a canon of the Holy Sepulcher (Jerusalem).

Source: http://americamagazine.org/content/all-things/happiest-christians-middle-east

Simplicity and Spontaneity: The pope slips away to lunch with the friars of at Saint Saviour Monastery.

They’re still talking about the Holy Father’s surprise visit to the refectory of Saint Saviour’s Monastery today, Monday, the 26th of May. First there was the announcement by Fra Stephane Milovitch, superior of the monastery, barely an hour before lunchtime. Having been informed of the probable visit of the sovereign pontiff the evening before, he and the Custos decided to keep the news a secret until the last minute. Only Fra Amar, the monastery’s treasurer was told due to the necessary security measures; the Israeli police would arrive at 9:30 in the morning to inspect the site.

But for those who were prepared in advance, and those who heard it as they came through the door the excitement was the same. Don Gaetano, an Italian priest who was living with the Custody of the Holy Land for a sabbatical year, still can’t quite believe it. “I had just left my room and someone told me the news. I just had time to change my clothes!” Also surprised was Sister Tiburzia, a Franciscan of the Heart of Jesus, and Chef Rami; they discovered that they were not cooking for the friars as usual, but for their pope! Sister Tiburzia is still emotional about it. “I could never even have dreamed of this! Our pope at the table with us!”

The Holy Father had explicitly requested that nothing be changed in either refectory customs or the day’s menu. He even excused himself to the community for the “two hours’ fast” that was imposed on them because of the time of his arrival! The community responded by smiling and singing the Regina coeli. Seated on a refectory bench just like the friars, the pope’s table mates were Fra Michael Anthony Perry (Minister General of the Franciscan Order), Msgr. Lazzarotto (Apostolic Nuncio), Msgr. Fouad Twal (Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem) and the Custos of the Holy Land. The reduced entourage allowed everyone to enjoy the spontaneity and hominess of the moment. Even some of the elderly friars came down from the infirmary to enjoy the meeting.

The pope spoke briefly, enthusiastically thanking the friars for their work, emphasizing that “without exaggeration we can say that the Holy Land is alive. If there are Christian communities, it is thanks to you!” As he invited the friars to continue living out their vocation with humility, the pope shared an anecdote. “Once the archbishop of Buenos Aires told me that there are priests who are pushed around or insulted as they walk down the street, with people yelling at them to ‘get a job’. In contrast, no one has ever said this about any of you!”

Before returning to his official program and leaving to visit the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the Holy Father parted from the friars with a warm and hearty “Arrivederci – See you again!” and “Pray for me” – that no one in the Custody of the Holy Land will forget. Sister Tiburzia says, “What I felt was inexpressible. You don’t see it, you can’t describe it, but it is absolutely in my heart and will stay there for the rest of my life!”

E.R>

Source: http://custodia.org/default.asp?id=779&id_n=27330

Pope at Audience: Holy Land Pilgrimage Was a Gift to the Church

Reflects That Churches Pursue Path Toward Communion, Despite Open Wounds

 

Vatican City, May 28, 2014 (Zenit.org)

Two days after returning from his historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope Francis at the General Audience reflected on his trip.

The pilgrimage to the Holy Land marked the 50th anniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras.

"In the past days, as you know, I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was a great gift for the Church, for which I thank God. He led me to that blessed Land, which witnessed the historical presence of Jesus and where fundamental events took place of Judaism, Christianity and Islam."

The main purpose of the pilgrimage, he said, was its commemorative aspect, noting the historic meeting was the "first time in which a Successor of Peter visited the Holy Land: thus during Vatican Council II, Paul VI inaugurated the Popes’ trips outside of Italy in the contemporary age. That prophetic gesture of the Bishop of Rome and of the Patriarch of Constantinople was a milestone in the suffering but promising path of unity of all Christians, which since then has taken important steps. Therefore, my meeting with His Holiness Bartholomew, beloved brother in Christ, was the culminating moment of the visit,” noting their moments of prayer together at the Sepulcher of Jesus.

Although he acknowledged that divisions still exist between the Churches and how this “does harm to the heart,” he said, “above all,” the celebration was “charged with reciprocal fraternity, esteem and affection, we heard loudly the voice of the Risen Good Shepherd who wishes to make of all his sheep only one flock."

“We felt the desire to heal the still open wounds and to continue with tenacity on the path towards full communion.” He continued, “We are all brothers in Christ and, with Patriarch Bartholomew, we are friends, brothers and we shared the will to walk together, to do everything that we can do today: pray together, work together for God’s flock, seek peace, protect Creation, so many things that we have in common. And, as brothers, we must go forward.”

Another purpose of this pilgrimage, he said, was to “encourage in that region the path to peace, which is at the same time gift of God and commitment of men,” adding he accomplished this in Jordan, Palestine and Israel.

“I exhorted the Christian faithful to allow themselves to be 'anointed' by the Holy Spirit with an open and docile heart, to be ever more capable of gestures of humility, brotherhood and reconciliation.”

The Pope shared what the Spirit can allow us to do: “The Spirit enables one to assume these attitudes in daily life, with persons of different cultures and religions, and thus become 'artisans' of peace."

“Peace is made with craftsmanship!" he said, "There are no industries of peace. It is done every day through craftsmanship, and also with an open heart so that God’s gift will come. Therefore, I exhorted the Christian faithful to allow themselves to be 'anointed.'”

Reflecting on his pleas, he said he encouraged the concerned authorities to continue efforts to relax the tensions in the Middle Eastern area, especially in "martyred Syria," as well as to continue in their search for a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The pilgrimage also was the occasion to confirm in the faith the Christian communities, which, he said, “suffer so much, and to express the gratitude of the whole Church for the presence of Christians in that area and in the whole of the Middle East."

“These brothers of ours are courageous witnesses of hope and charity, 'salt and light' in that Land. With their life of faith and prayer and with their appreciated educational and welfare activity, they work in favor of reconciliation and forgiveness, contributing to the common good of the society.”

He closed sharing what he personally achieved from this visit: “With this pilgrimage, which was a true grace of the Lord, I wished to take a word of hope, but I also received it in return!”

He closed requesting prayers for those in the Holy Land and Middle East.

“May the prayer of the whole Church also support the path towards the full unity of Christians, so that the world will believe in the love of God that came, in Jesus Christ, to dwell among us.”

Post-Audience Appeals:

In his greetings in various languages following today's catechesis, the Holy Father invited all those present to pray for peace in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East.

After giving special thanks to those who accompanied him through prayer on his pilgrimage, he gave a special greeting to English and Welsh pilgrims, members of the Catholic Police Association, and the members of the International Catholic Commission for Migration, who are holding their plenary session. He expressed his hope for them that this “concerted commitment may contribute to assisting many of our brethren in need.”

He also thanked the Arab-speaking pilgrims, above all those from Jordan and the Holy Land, for the affectionate and generous welcome received during his trip and assured them that he will hold them forever in his heart and in his prayers, invoking “abundant goodness, continuing prosperity and lasting peace."(D.C.L.)

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On ZENIT's Web page:
Full Translation: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-address-at-general-audience-centers-on-holy-land-trip

This pope photo from the Middle East is worth a thousand words

By William Booth

Pope Francis wades into the crowd Saturday in Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Jesus is thought to have been baptized. (William Booth/The Washington Post)


Pope Francis is surrounded by well-wishers, cancer patients, and Iraqi and Syrian refugees on Saturday in a half-completed church in Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the site where tradition says that Jesus was baptized.

The pope — shown in his white zucchetto, or skullcap — is wearing a red checkered scarf given to him a few minutes earlier by a Jordanian student. The scene shows a pope who decided on his own to wade into a spontaneous moment. People felt comfortable to reach out, embrace him and kiss his cheek. Everyone looked happy and taken by the warmth — not least of all the pontiff, who was beaming.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/05/25/this-pope-photo-from-the-middle-east-is-worth-a-thousand-words/

Pope prays at Western Wall, leaves note

  By NICOLE WINFIELD 1 hour ago

JERUSALEM (AP) — Pope Francis prayed on Monday at Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, and deviated from his busy itinerary to visit a memorial to Israeli victims of terrorism as he spent his third and final day in the Middle East honoring Jews.

Francis bowed his head in prayer and touched the wall, the only remains of the biblical Second Temple.

He left a note with the text of the "Our Father" prayer written in his native Spanish in one of the cracks between the stones.

He then embraced his good friend, Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka, and a leader of Argentina's Muslim community, Omar Abboud, both of whom joined his official delegation for the trip in a sign of interfaith friendship.

When St. John Paul II visited the Western Wall in 2000, he left a note asking forgiveness for the suffering inflicted on Jews by Christians over history. Pope Benedict XVI's note prayed for peace for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike.

Francis deviated from his packed schedule to visit a memorial to Israeli victims of terrorism before traveling to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. He also laid a wreath at the grave of Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl.

 

Pope Francis prays as he holds an envelope before placing it in on of the cracks between the stones 

Francis' whirlwind trip has been marked by his surprise invitation to the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to come to the Vatican next month to pray for peace. Both men accepted, and Francis was to meet with the outgoing Israeli President Shimon Peres later Monday.

Francis started the day by taking off his shoes to enter the Dome of the Rock, the iconic shrine located at the third-holiest spot in Islam. The gold-topped dome enshrines the rock where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.

The mosque complex, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, is at the heart of the territorial and religious disputes between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Speaking to the grand mufti of Jerusalem and other Muslim authorities, Francis deviated from his prepared remarks to refer not just to his "dear friends" but "dear brothers."

"May we respect and love one another as brothers and sisters!" he said. "May we learn to understand the suffering of others! May no one abuse the name of God through violence!"

 

Pope Francis arrives to the Western Wall, in Jerusalem's Old City, Monday, May 26, 2014.

 

At Yad Vashem, Francis kissed the hands of a half-dozen Holocaust survivors, in a sign of honor.

The pope's final day is a whirlwind of activities, from the Dome of the Rock to the Western Wall, to Mount Herzl, the Israeli national cemetery named for the father of modern Zionism, and a speech at Yad Vashem. 

There will also be meetings with the chief rabbis of Israel, the Israeli president and prime minister, local priests and finally, Mass in the Room of the Last Supper, where Jesus shared his final meal with his disciples before being crucified.

He is due to return to Rome just before midnight.

 

Pope calls Muslims 'brothers' at Dome of the Rock

Photo par Thomas Coex/AFP il y a 2 heures 19 minutes

JERUSALEM (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday urged his "brother" Muslims to never abuse God's name through violence as he opened the third and final day of his Mideast pilgrimage with a visit to the Dome of the Rock, the iconic shrine located at the third-holiest spot in Islam.

Francis took off his shoes to step into the gold-topped dome, which enshrines the rock where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.

The mosque complex, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, is at the heart of the territorial and religious disputes between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Speaking to the grand mufti of Jerusalem and other Muslim authorities, Francis deviated from his prepared remarks to refer not just to his "dear friends" but "dear brothers."

"May we respect and love one another as brothers and sisters," he said, and added, "May we learn to understand the suffering of others! May no one abuse the name of God through violence!"

After the brief visit, Francis headed to the Western Wall, the only remains of the biblical Second Temple and the holiest place where Jews can pray.

His Majesty King Abdullah II Welcomes Pope Francis

"Together, we can help leaders on both sides take the courageous steps needed, for peace, justice and co-existence."

AMMAN, May 24, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Here below are the remarks of King Abdullah II on welcoming Pope Francis to Jordan, May 24

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Welcoming Remarks by
His Majesty King Abdullah II
Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis

Amman, Jordan

24 May 2014

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate,
Blessings and peace be upon Prophet Mohammad, the last prophet and messenger, the truthful Arab Hashemite.
 
Asalam Alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu
Pax Vobis.

Your Holiness,
Welcome to Jordan, the land of peace and Muslim-Christian harmony, and home of prophets and saints. Allah says:

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate, 
Yet they are not all alike; some of the People of the Scripture are a community upright, who recite God’s verses in the watches of the night, prostrating themselves. They believe in God and in the Last Day, enjoining decency and forbidding indecency, vying with one another in good works; those are of the righteous. [Al Imran: 113-114]
Saddaka Allahu Al Atheem

Your Holiness,

On behalf of all Jordanians, welcome!

It is a special honour that your pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins here, in Jordan: land of faith, land of fellowship.

Here, fifty years ago, my late father His Majesty King Hussein welcomed Pope Paul the Sixth – the first official papal visit to a Muslim country.

Here, fourteen years ago, I was privileged to welcome Saint John Paul the Second; and five years ago, Pope Benedict the Sixteenth.

Here, today, Muslims and Christians are building a shared future, on the common ground of mutual respect, peace and devotion to God.

Your Holiness,

Common ground is where the next steps for all humanity must begin.

In our modern era, we face vast global challenges. Not least is the terrible cost of sectarian and inter-religious conflict. But God has given us an invincible defense. Where ideologues spread ignorance and distrust, our joined voices can bring understanding and good will. Where lives have been shattered by injustice and violence, our united efforts can help bring healing and hope.

Indeed, the world is rich with people of good will, who seek to uphold human dignity and peaceful coexistence. Let me acknowledge, with gratitude, your leadership in this cause. You have committed yourself to dialogue, especially with Islam. Muslims everywhere appreciate your messages of esteem and friendship. In addition to being the successor of Saint Peter, Your Holiness, you have become a conscience for the whole world.

Since becoming Pontiff, you have reminded us, in word and in deed, that ‘Pontiff’ means “bridge builder”. Jordanians, too, are building bridges. Our work includes concrete and tangible actions, over many years.
Ten years ago, I was honoured to issue The Amman Message, reaffirming Islam’s call for universal harmony, mercy and justice, and clearly rejecting the false claims of those who spread hatred and sow division.

Jordan is also home to the 2007 initiative, “A Common Word” − reflecting the two great commandments of Islam and Christianity alike: to Love God and Love One’s Neighbour. The people of our two religions − more than half of humanity − are each other’s neighbours, everywhere. “A Common Word” has brought new dialogue between us. Two major Catholic-Muslim forums have taken place, one at the Vatican and one in Jordan. A third such Forum will take place in Rome next November, God willing.

Your Holiness,

As the 41st descendant of the Prophet Muhammad(peace and blessings be upon him), I have sought to uphold the true spirit of Islam, the Islam of peace. My Hashemite duty extends to protecting the Holy Sites of Christians and Muslims in Jordan and in Jerusalem. As Custodian, I am committed to safeguarding the Holy City, as a place of worship for all and, God willing, a safe home for all communities for all generations.

Last year, Jordan convened an historic regional conference on the challenges facing Arab Christians. Let me say, forthrightly, that Arab Christian communities are an integral part of the Middle East.

Here in Jordan, a long Christian heritage exists in harmony with our country’s Islamic heritage and identity.

We treasure this inheritance. Your Holiness, we are delighted that you, like your predecessors, will perform a pilgrimage to the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), at Bethany beyond the Jordan.

Your Holiness,

World peace depends on understanding and co-existence among all people, of every belief. To that end, in 2010, we spearheaded the United Nation's new, annual “World Interfaith Harmony Week”. In recognition, we established an annual prize, bestowed this year on youth and organisations in India, the Philippines, Uganda and Egypt.

Your Holiness,

In the days ahead, may we continue to work together to strengthen accord and meet challenges. Your humanity and wisdom can make a special contribution to easing the crisis of Syrian refugees and the burden on neighbouring host countries like Jordan. We must help Syria regain its future, end the bloodshed, and find a peaceful political solution.

Your actions and support also continue to be needed to help Palestinians and Israelis resolve their long conflict. The status-quo of ‘justice denied’ to the Palestinians; fear of the other; fear of change; these are the way to mutual ruin, not mutual respect. Together, we can help leaders on both sides take the courageous steps needed, for peace, justice and co-existence.

Your Holiness,

You begin your Holy Land pilgrimage with the warm friendship and sincere respect of all Jordanians. May your work be fruitful and bring peace, for blessed are the peacemakers.

Pope Francis' Homily in Amman

"Peace is strengthened...if we never forget that we have the same heavenly Father and are all his children, made in his image and likeness."

AMMAN, May 24, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Here below is the English text of Pope Francis' homily during Mass at the International Stadium of Amman, May 24.

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In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus promise the disciples: “I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you forever” (Jn 14:16).  The first Paraclete is Jesus himself; the other is the Holy Spirit.
We are not far from where the Holy Spirit descended with power on Jesus of Nazareth after his baptism by John in the River Jordan (cf. Mt 3:16).  Today’s Gospel, and this place to which, by God’s grace, I have come as a pilgrim, invite us to meditate on the Holy Spirit and on all that he has brought about in Christ and in us.  In a word, we can say that the Holy Spirit carries out three actions – he prepares, he anoints and he sends.

At the baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus to prepare him for his mission of salvation, the mission of one who is a Servant, humble and meek, ready to share and give himself completely.  Yet the Holy Spirit, present from the beginning of salvation history, had already been at work in Jesus from the moment of his conception in the virginal womb of Mary of Nazareth, by bringing about the wondrous event of the Incarnation: “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, will overshadow you – the Angel said to Mary – and you will give birth to a son who will be named Jesus” (cf. Lk 1:35).  The Holy Spirit had then acted in Simeon and Anna on the day of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple (cf. Lk 2:22).  Both were awaiting the Messiah, and both were inspired by the Holy Spirit.  Simeon and Anna, upon seeing the child, knew immediately that he was the one long awaited by the people.  They gave prophetic expression to the joy of encountering the Redeemer and, in a certain sense, served as a preparation for the encounter between the Messiah and the people.

These various works of the Holy Spirit are part of a harmonious action, a sole divine plan of love.  The mission of the Holy Spirit, in fact, is to beget harmony – he is himself harmony – and to create peace in different situations and between different people.  Diversity of ideas and persons should not trigger rejection or prove an obstacle, for variety always enriches.  So today, with fervent hearts, we invoke the Holy Spirit and ask him to prepare the path to peace and unity.

The Holy Spirit also anoints.  He anointed Jesus inwardly and he anoints his disciples, so that they can have the mind of Christ and thus be disposed to live lives of peace and communion.  Through the anointing of the Spirit, our human nature is sealed with the holiness of Jesus Christ and we are enabled to love our brothers and sisters with the same love which God has for us.  We ought, therefore, to show concrete signs of humility, fraternity, forgiveness and reconciliation.  These signs are the prerequisite of a true, stable and lasting peace.  Let us ask the Father to anoint us so that we may fully become his children, ever more conformed to Christ, and may learn to see one another as brothers and sisters.  Thus, by putting aside our grievances and divisions, we can show fraternal love for one another.  This is what Jesus asks of us in the Gospel: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you for ever” (Jn 14:15-16).

Lastly, the Holy Spirit sends.  Jesus is the one who is sent forth, filled with the Spirit of the Father.  Anointed by the same Spirit, we also are sent as messengers and witnesses of peace.

Peace is not something which can be bought; it is a gift to be sought patiently and to be “crafted” through the actions, great and small, of our everyday lives.  The way of peace is strengthened if we realize that we are all of the same stock and members of the one human family; if we never forget that we have the same heavenly Father and are all his children, made in his image and likeness.

It is in this spirit that I embrace all of you: the Patriarch, my brother bishops and priests, the consecrated men and women, the lay faithful, and the many children who today make their First Holy Communion, together with their families.  I also embrace with affection the many Christian refugees from Palestine, Syria and Iraq: please bring my greeting to your families and communities, and assure them of my closeness.

Dear friends!  The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the Jordan and thus inaugurated his work of redemption to free the world from sin and death.  Let us ask the Spirit to prepare our hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences rooted in political thinking, language, culture and religion.  Let us ask him to anoint our whole being with the oil of his mercy, which heals the injuries caused by mistakes, misunderstandings, and disputes.  And let us ask him to send us forth, in humility and meekness, along the demanding but enriching path of seeking peace.

Pope Francis' Address to Refugees and People with Disabilities

AMMAN, May 24, 2014 (Zenit.org) At Bethany Beyond the Jordan this evening, Pope Francis delivered the following address to refugees and people with disabilities. 

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Distinguished Authorities, Your Excellencies,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As part of my pilgrimage I have greatly desired to meet with you who have had to leave your homes and your country as a result of violence and conflict. Here in Jordan you have found welcome and refuge. I have wanted also to meet with you, dear young people who bear the burden of physical disabilities.

The place where we are meeting commemorates Jesus’ baptism. Coming here to the Jordan to be baptized by John, Jesus showed his humility and his participation in our human condition. He stooped down to us and by his love he restored our dignity and brought us salvation. Jesus’ humility never fails to move us, the fact that he bends down to wounded humanity in order to heal us. For our part, we are profoundly affected by the tragedies and suffering of our times, particularly those caused by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. I think particularly of Syria, rent by nearly three years of civil strife which has led to countless deaths and forced millions to flee and seek exile in other countries.

I thank the Jordanian authorities and people for the generous welcome they have extended to the immense number of refugees from Syria and Iraq. I also thank all those who offer them assistance and solidarity. I think too of the charitable work undertaken by Church institutions such as Caritas Jordanand others, who assist the needy regardless of their religious beliefs, ethnic origin or politics; in this way they reveal the radiant face of Jesus, full of kindness and love. May the Almighty and Merciful God bless all of you and every effort you make to alleviate the sufferings caused by war!

I urge the international community not to leave Jordan alone in the task of meeting the humanitarian emergency caused by the arrival of so great a number of refugees, but to continue and even increase its support and assistance. And I renew my heartfelt appeal for peace in Syria. May the violence cease and may humanitarian law be respected, thus ensuring much needed assistance to those who are suffering! May all parties abandon the attempt to resolve issues by the use of arms and return to negotiations. A solution will only be found through dialogue and restraint, through compassion for those who suffer, through the search for a political solution and through a sense of fraternal responsibility.

Dear young people, I ask you to join me in praying for peace. You can do this by offering your daily efforts and struggles to God; in this way your prayer will become particularly precious and effective. I also encourage you to assist, through your generosity and sensitivity, in building a society which is respectful of the vulnerable, the sick, children and the elderly. Despite your difficulties in life, you are a sign of hope. You have a place in God’s heart and in my prayers. I am grateful that so many of you are here, and for your warmth and enthusiasm.

As our meeting concludes, I pray once more that reason and restraint will prevail and that, with the help of the international community, Syria will rediscover the path of peace. May God change the hearts of the violent and those who seek war. And may he strengthen the hearts and minds of peacemakers and grant them every blessing.

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Holy Mass in Manger Square

BETHLEHEM, May 25, 2014 (Zenit.org)

“This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12).

What a great grace it is to celebrate the Eucharist in the place where Jesus was born!  I thank God and I thank all of you who have welcomed me on my pilgrimage: President Mahmoud Abbas and the other civil authorities; Patriarch Fouad Twal and the other bishops and ordinaries of the Holy Land, the priests, the consecrated persons and all those who labor to keep faith, hope and love alive in these lands; the faithful who have come from Gaza and Galilee, and the immigrants from Asia and Africa.  Thank you for your welcome!

The Child Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is the sign given by God to those who awaited salvation, and he remains forever the sign of God’s tenderness and presence in our world: “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child…”.

Today too, children are a sign.  They are a sign of hope, a sign of life, but also a “diagnostic” sign, a marker indicating the health of families, society and the entire world.  Wherever children are accepted, loved, cared for and protected, the family is healthy, society is more healthy and the world is more human.  Here we can think of the work carried out by the Ephpheta Paul VI institute for hearing and speech impaired Palestinian children: it is a very real sign of God’s goodness.

To us, the men and women of the twenty-first century, God also says: “This will be a sign for you”, look to the child…

The Child of Bethlehem is frail, like all newborn children.  He cannot speak and yet he is the Word made flesh who came to transform the hearts and lives of all men and women.  This Child, like every other child, is vulnerable; he needs to be accepted and protected.  Today too, children need to be welcomed and defended, from the moment of their conception.

Sadly, in this world of ours, with all its highly developed technology, great numbers of children continue to live in inhuman situations, on the fringes of society, in the peripheries of great cities and in the countryside.  All too many children continue to be exploited, maltreated, enslaved, prey to violence and illicit trafficking.  Still too many children live in exile, as refugees, at times lost at sea, particularly in the waters of the Mediterranean.  Today, in acknowledging this, we feel shame before God, before God who became a child.

And we have to ask ourselves: Who are we, as we stand before the Child Jesus?  Who are we, standing as we stand before today’s children?  Are we like Mary and Joseph, who welcomed Jesus and care for him with the love of a father and a mother?  Or are we like Herod, who wanted to eliminate him?  Are we like the shepherds, who went in haste to kneel before him in worship and offer him their humble gifts?  Or are we indifferent?  Are we perhaps people who use fine and pious words, yet exploit pictures of poor children in order to make money?  Are we ready to be there for children, to “waste time” with them?  Are we ready to listen to them, to care for them, to pray for them and with them?  Or do we ignore them because we are too caught up in our own affairs?

“This will be a sign for you: you will find a child…”.  Perhaps that little boy or girl is crying.  He is crying because he is hungry, because she is cold, because he or she wants to be picked up and held in our arms…  Today too, children are crying, they are crying a lot, and their crying challenges us.  In a world which daily discards tons of food and medicine there are children, hungry and suffering from easily curable diseases, who cry out in vain.  In an age which insists on the protection of minors, there is a flourishing trade in weapons which end up in the hands of child-soldiers, there is a ready market for  goods produced by the slave labor of small children.  Their cry is stifled: they must fight, they must work, they cannot cry!  But their mothers cry for them, as modern-day Rachels: they weep for their children, and they refuse to be consoled (cf. Mt 2:18).

“This will be a sign for you”.  The Child Jesus, born in Bethlehem, every child who is born and grows up in every part of our world, is a diagnostic sign indicating the state of health of our families, our communities, our nation.  Such a frank and honest diagnosis can lead us to a new kind of lifestyle where our relationships are no longer marked by conflict, oppression and consumerism, but fraternity, forgiveness and reconciliation, solidarity and love.

Mary, Mother of Jesus,
you who accepted, teach us how to accept;
you who adored, teach us how to adore;
you who followed, teach us how to follow.  Amen.

Pope Tells Child Refugees That Violence Can Only Be Overcome With Peace

Pope Francis: "Never ever allow the past to determine your lives"

Bethlehem, May 25, 2014 (Zenit.org)

Pope Francis today met with child refugees, telling them that violence is not overcome with violence, but with peace.

The Holy Father met this afternoon during his time in Bethlehem with a small group of youth and child refugees in the Dehiyshe Refugee Camp's Phoenix Cultural Center.

Two children in traditional clothes greeted the Holy Father at the entrance of the center, giving him flowers.
The young people, seated in chairs in a big circle, each wearing a white T-shirt and white cap, had signs about freedom, peace and justice, printed on sheets of white paper in various languages.
A boy told the Holy Father that they were the "children of Palestine" who had been born in a situation of occupation.

After the children sang for the Pope and he thanked them for their "very beautiful" songs, he gave them a quick message, speaking in Spanish, as a friar translated.

He told them, "I understand what you are saying, the message that you are giving me."

"Never ever allow the past to determine your lives," the Pope continued. "Always look forward. Work and fight to bring about what you want.

"But, know this: Violence is not overcome with violence. Violence is overcome with peace. With peace, with work, with the dignity of furthering your homeland.

"Thank you for welcoming me. And I ask God to bless you. And I ask you to pray for me. Thank you."

The Pope visited the refugee center before this evening leaving Bethlehem for Tel Aviv. Earlier, he made a surprise stop at the wall separating Israel from the Palestinian Territories, pressing his forehead against the wall for a moment of prayer.

Pope Francis had lunch with these families

Bethlehem, May 25, 2014 (Zenit.org)

 Pope Francis had lunch in Bethlehem today with Palestinian families in the Franciscan Convent of Casa Nova. The composition of the families is as follows:

1. George SBEIT and his wife Shadia with their children Nicole (15) and Cesar (13) From Ikrit, a Christian village entirely evacuated by the Israeli army in 1948. The inhabitants have not been able to return.

2. Elias ABU MOHOR with his wife Juliet, and their two young daughters, Isabel and Elizabeth (3) From Cremisan, Beit Jala. They risk losing their land, situated beyond the dividing wall, if this latter is completed as intended by the Israeli army.

3. Joseph HAZBOUN with his wife Rima, their son Ya zan (16) and their daughter Laian (18). The wife is from Jerusalem and the husband from Bethlehem. One of the many cases of families who cannot be reunited.

4. Shawki HALABY and his wife Abla with two sons, Fadi (30) and Tamer (27). From Jerusalem. Another of their sons is serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison.

5. Layla SHATARA, widow from Bethlehem, and has a son exiled to Gaza following the siege of the Basilica of the Nativity in 2002.

6. Rania Michel MIZAK (37), of the Gaza Christian community.

7. Mike ABED RABBO (23) Young man from Beit Jala, unable to hold any form of identity document.

8. Zakaria ZAKAKARIA From Bethlehem. Now in adult age, rehabilitated following drug dependency, with health problems.

Israeli, Palestinian leaders accept Vatican invite to discuss peace efforts

May 25, 2014: Pope Francis waves upon his arrival at the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Sunday,  (AP Photo/Mohamad Torokman, Pool)

Published May 25, 2014  Associated Press

BETHLEHEM, West Bank –  Pope Francis plunged Sunday into Mideast politics during his Holy Land pilgrimage, calling the current stalemate in peace efforts "unacceptable" and winning the acceptance from the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to pay a symbolic visit to the Vatican next month to pray for peace.

Francis issued the surprise, joint invitation after landing in Bethlehem, the cradle of Christianity, in a symbolic nod to Palestinian aspirations for their own state. In another unscripted moment, he prayed at the Israeli separation barrier surrounding the biblical West Bank town and briefly donned the checkered black and white headscarf that is a symbol of the Palestinian cause.

Jubilant Palestinians cheered Francis as he arrived in Bethlehem's Manger Square, shouting "Viva al-Baba!" or "Long live the pope!" Giant Palestinian flags in red, white, green and black and the Vatican's yellow-and-white flags decorated the square, which is home to the Church of the Nativity, built over Jesus' traditional birth grotto.

At the end of Mass in the square, Francis invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres to pray with him for peace, saying: "I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer."

The offices of the Israeli and Palestinian presidents quickly confirmed that they had accepted the invitation, with the Palestinians saying the meeting would take place in June.

The invitation -- and the acceptances -- were unexpected given Francis' insistence that his three-day visit was "strictly religious" pilgrimage to commemorate a Catholic-Orthodox anniversary. But it showed that the pope, who is named after the peace-loving St. Francis of Assisi, has been able to channel his immense popular appeal to be a moral force for peace, even though the proposed meeting will be largely a symbolic affair.

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in late April, and there have been no public high-level meetings for a year.

Peres, a 90-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, is set to step down over the summer, and the meeting would take place shortly before he leaves office.

Peres, whose job is largely ceremonial, has no authority to negotiate peace, and the meeting will be merely symbolic. But he nonetheless risks upsetting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the move.

Netanyahu has expressed anger with politicians that have reached out to Abbas at a time when the Palestinian leader is reconciling with the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office.

Francis started out the second day of his three-day Mideast trip with a deeply symbolic decision to land in at a Bethlehem helipad, arriving from Jordan aboard a Jordanian helicopter. Previous popes have always come to the West Bank after first arriving in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Palestinian officials hailed Francis' decision to arrive first in Bethlehem, and to refer to the "state of Palestine." In its official program, the Vatican referred to Abbas as the president of the "state of Palestine," and his Bethlehem office as the "presidential palace."

"It's a blessed day," said Samar Sakkakini, 52, a Palestinian-American from Canton, Michigan, who attended the Mass in Manger Square. "Coming to Bethlehem and flying to Bethlehem from Jordan shows solidarity with the Palestinian people, which is wonderful. We need that."

In November 2012, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly recognized a "state of Palestine" in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem -- lands Israel captured in the 1967 war -- as a non-member observer. The recognition still has little meaning on the ground, with Israel remaining in full control of east Jerusalem, which it annexed in 1967, and the West Bank.

Israel objects to the Palestinian campaign, saying it is an attempt to bypass negotiations.

Standing alongside Abbas at a welcome ceremony, Francis declared: "The time has come to put an end to this situation which has become increasingly unacceptable."

He said both sides needed to make sacrifices to create two states, with internationally recognized borders, based on mutual security and rights for everyone.

"The time has come for everyone to find the courage to be generous and creative in the service of the common good," he said, urging both sides to refrain from any actions that would derail peace.

In his remarks, Abbas voiced his concerns about the recent breakdown in U.S.-backed peace efforts and lamented the difficult conditions facing the Palestinians. He also expressed hope for peace.

"Your visit is loaded with symbolic meaning as a defender of the poor and the marginalized," he said.

Abbas listed a series of complaints against Israel, including continued settlement construction, the plight of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, Israel's control of east Jerusalem -- the Palestinians' would-be capital -- and Israel's construction of the "ugly wall" that encircles Bethlehem.

"We welcome any initiative from you to make peace a reality in the Holy Land," Abbas said. "I am addressing our neighbors -- the Israelis. We are looking for the same thing that you are looking for, which is safety, security and stability."

Security was lax by papal standards, even for a pope who has shunned the armored popemobile that his predecessors used on foreign trips.

Only two bodyguards stood on the back of Francis' vehicle keeping watch as Palestinian police kept the crowd at bay. Francis waved and warmly smiled as his car made its way through the crowd in Manger Square, at one point holding a child passed up to him.

In addition to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Francis also sought to encourage Palestinian Christians, whose numbers have dwindled as the conflict drags on.

Currently, Christians are roughly 2 percent of the population of the Holy Land, down from about 10 percent at the time of Israel's establishment in 1948. In Bethlehem, they are less than one third of the population.

Francis acknowledged the Palestinian Christian hardship and in his homily sought to encourage the younger generations with a strong plea for children around the globe to be protected and defended from war, poverty, disease and exile as refugees.

"All too many children continue to be exploited, maltreated, enslaved, prey to violence and illicit trafficking," he said, a mural depicting the Nativity scene with the baby Jesus wrapped in the black-and-white checkered Palestinian headdress behind him. "Today in acknowledging this, we feel shame before God."

After Mass, Francis had lunch with Palestinian families and visited a Palestinian refugee camp before flying by helicopter to Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport for the Israeli leg of his trip.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/05/25/pope-francis-arrives-in-bethlehem-meets-with-palestinian-leader-abbas/?intcmp=obinsite

Orthodox patriarch eyes unity in visit with pope

By DESMOND BUTLER May 9, 2014 1:09 PM

ISTANBUL (AP) — Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians, says a meeting with Pope Francis in Jerusalem this month will help move the two churches closer to ending their nearly 1,000-year divide.

In an interview with The Associated Press in his Istanbul office, Bartholomew also praised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for improving rights for Christians but said pointedly, "it is not enough."

The meetings between the ecumenical patriarch and the leader of the world's Roman Catholics on May 25-26 will commemorate the historic visit of their predecessors 50 years ago that launched a dialogue aimed at ending the two churches' schism in 1054.

"We shall say through our meeting and our prayer that it is the intention of both of us to work further for Christian unity and reconciliation," Bartholomew said, sitting at his desk piled high with papers in his Patriarchate office. Around him, golden icons from Byzantium on the walls loomed over standing photos of the patriarch greeting world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Erdogan.

Although the Orthodox and Catholic churches remain estranged on key issues, including married clergy and the centralized power of the Vatican, there have been moves toward closer understanding, beginning with the 1964 meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem. It was the first encounter between a pope and Orthodox patriarch in more than 500 years.

Following the meeting, mutual excommunication edicts were dropped, and a Catholic-Orthodox Joint Declaration of 1965 called for greater harmony.

 

FILE- In this March 20, 2013, file photo provided by the Vatican paper L' Osservatore Romano

 …

Echoing that declaration, Bartholomew said the road to unity remains long, but that Pope Francis's acceptance of the invitation to meet in Jerusalem demonstrates that both leaders want to end the divide.

"When it will take place, we don't know; how it will take place, we don't know. Only God knows," he said.

The two leaders will hold a prayer service together at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the faithful believe Jesus was crucified and buried, and issue another declaration. Bartholomew said it had not been finalized.

In the interview, Bartholomew expressed disappointment that Erdogan had not re-opened the Theological School of Halki, the Orthodox Church's most important seminary. Bartholomew spent seven years as a student and another four more as an assistant to the dean at the grounds on an island in the sea of Marmara. The school, whose doors were closed in 1971 under a Turkish law that required private higher education to be controlled by the state, have been meticulously maintained since, in case students are allowed to return.

Many expected that the seminary would be reopened last year as part of a package of reforms aimed at boosting minority rights in Turkey.

 

In this Friday, May 2, 2014 photo, Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians

"These are hopes which are not fulfilled so far," Bartholomew said. "It is a matter of human rights and especially of religious freedom."

Erdogan has said Halki's reopening depends on reciprocal measures from neighboring Greece that would improve the rights of Muslims there. Asked about that demand, Bartholomew threw up his hands.

"Are we responsible for that?" he asked. "I am in favor of a mosque and even more mosques where there are Muslims, in order to give them the possibility to pray according to their own faith. But what can I do?"

Bartholomew said that the issue is not about Greek law, it is about Turkey's responsibility to protect religious freedom.

"I am a Turkish citizen and I was born here. I served in the Turkish army for two years," he said. "I want my full rights as such as a Turkish citizen and not only for myself but for my church and my community."

Later, he glanced over at a table near his desk with photos of Turkish President Abdullah Gul and his Greek counterpart, Antonis Samaras. There were images of a dove and of an olive tree, symbolizing peace between the two often warring cultures. Bartholomew credited Erdogan with improvements in rights for Christians in Turkey and noted that whereas ethnic Greeks once left Turkey in droves, many are returning, especially because of Greece's financial turmoil.

"We recognize these steps. We express our gratitude to Mr. Erdogan. But we say that it is not enough," he said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/orthodox-patriarch-eyes-unity-visit-pope-063230663.html

Pope, Orthodox patriarch in historic prayer for unity

Pope Francis (L) and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I (R) pray over the Stone of Unction at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City on May 25, 2014 (AFP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jerusalem (AFP) - Pope Francis joined Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I in an historic joint prayer for the Christian unity at Christianity's holiest site in Jerusalem on Sunday.

They met at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre inside the walled Old City after signing a landmark pledge to work together to further unity between the eastern and western branches of Christianity, estranged for  a millennium.

The meeting has been billed as the main reason for the pope's three-day trip to the Middle East, which ends on Monday.

It commemorates the historic rapprochement between both branches of the Christian church 50 years ago, when Pope Paul VI met and embraced Patriarch Athenagoras -- the first easing of tensions between the Churches since the Great Schism in the 11th century.

Both leaders knelt side by side in prayer on the rough Stone of the Anointing, where the body of Jesus was laid before burial, removing their headgear as they did so. 

Both had to be helped to their feet by aides at the end of the prayer. The pope is 77, Bartholomew, one of the Orthodox Chuch's most revered figures, 74. 

A choir sang a Greek chant as they slowly walked into a joint service in the dimly-lit church, packed with religious figures and dignitaries, and later burst into a joyous rendition of Hallelujah. 

Earlier, the two men signed a joint pledge to pursue common dialogue, which reaffirmed values common to the Catholic and Orthodox churches. 

"Our fraternal encounter today is a new and necessary step on the journey towards the unity... of communion in legitimate diversity," says the declaration which was signed in the presence of representatives of 13 Catholic and Orthodox churches in Jerusalem.

The logo for the pope's journey is a picture of St Peter and St Andrew -- symbolising the churches of the east and west -- embracing in a boat with a mast in the shape of a cross.

The Great Schism in 1054 split Rome and Constantinople, seat of Orthodoxy.

According to Christian tradition, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the joint service was held, was built on the site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-orthodox-patriarch-historic-prayer-unity-193724200.html

Pope gives Palestinians boost of support

  By JOSEF FEDERMAN and MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH 

JERUSALEM (AP) — Pope Francis delivered a powerful boost of support to the Palestinians during a Holy Land pilgrimage Sunday, repeatedly backing their statehood aspirations, praying solemnly at Israel's controversial separation barrier and calling the stalemate in peace efforts "unacceptable."

In an unscripted move, Francis arranged a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian presidents at the Vatican next month. The meeting, while largely symbolic, shows how the pope has sought to transform his immensely popular appeal into a moral force for peace.

On the second day of a three-day swing through the region, the pope arrived in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christianity, before heading to Israel for the final leg of his visit.

While Francis mingled warmly with his Israeli hosts, his trip to Bethlehem included the day's most powerful images as he expressed sympathy and solidarity with the Palestinians.

"I am with you," he told a group of Palestinian children at a stop in Bethlehem's Deheishe refugee camp. He also held a private lunch with five Palestinian families who say they have been harmed by Israeli policies.

Even the pope's arrival in Bethlehem — by helicopter straight from Jordan — carried important symbolic significance. Past papal visits to the West Bank have come through Israel, which captured the territory in the 

1967 Mideast war.

 

Raw: Pope Lands in Bethlehem, Holds Sunday Mass Play Video

 

Palestinian officials hailed Francis' decision to refer to the "state of Palestine." In its official program, the Vatican referred to President Mahmoud Abbas as the president of the "state of Palestine," and his Bethlehem office as the "presidential palace." He pointedly called Abbas a "man of peace."

Jubilant Palestinians cheered Francis as he arrived in Bethlehem's Manger Square, shouting "Viva al-Baba!" or "Long live the pope!" Giant Palestinian flags in red, white, green and black and the Vatican's yellow-and-white flags decorated the square, which is home to the Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born.

"Coming to Bethlehem and flying to Bethlehem from Jordan shows solidarity with the Palestinian people, which is wonderful. We need that," said Samar Sakkakin, a 52-year-old Palestinian American from Canton, Michigan.

In November 2012, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly recognized a "state of Palestine" in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem — lands Israel captured in the 1967 war — as a non-member observer. Israel objects to the Palestinian campaign, saying it is an attempt to bypass negotiations.

Francis' arrival came weeks after the latest round of U.S.-backed peace talks collapsed. During nine months of negotiations, little — if any — progress was made, and there are no signs of talks resuming anytime soon.

Standing alongside Abbas at a welcome ceremony, Francis declared: "The time has come to put an end to this situation, which has become increasingly unacceptable."

He said both sides needed to make sacrifices to create two states, with internationally recognized borders, based on mutual security and rights for everyone. He urged both sides to refrain from any actions that would derail peace.

In his remarks, Abbas voiced his concerns about the recent breakdown in peace efforts and lamented the difficult conditions facing the Palestinians.

Abbas said he would welcome papal intervention. "We welcome any initiative from you to make peace a reality in the Holy Land," Abbas said.

After the meeting, the pope's open-roof vehicle stopped at a section of the West Bank separation barrier, which encircles Bethlehem on three sides. Israel says the structure is a security measure. The Palestinians say it has gobbled up their land and stifled their economy.

 

Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a Mass in Manger Square 

 

France stood up, put a hand on the wall, bowed his head and said a short prayer alongside a section on which "Free Palestine" is scribbled in graffiti.

In another unscripted move, Francis issued a surprise joint invitation for Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres to come to the Vatican to pray for peace together. "I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer," he said.

The offices of the Israeli and Palestinian presidents quickly confirmed their acceptance, with the Palestinians saying the meeting would take place June 6.

The invitation — and the acceptances — were unexpected given Francis' insistence that his three-day visit was "strictly religious" pilgrimage to commemorate a Catholic-Orthodox anniversary.

Peres, a 90-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, holds a largely ceremonial position, and the Vatican meeting will be largely symbolic. But he nonetheless risks upsetting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the move.

 

Pope Francis, right, talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres, during an official arrival ceremony 

 

Netanyahu has expressed anger with politicians that have reached out to Abbas at a time when the Palestinian leader is reconciling with the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group. Netanyahu's office declined comment.

Isaac Herzog, Israel's opposition leader, said the pope, a close friend of Israel, had sent a clear message to Netanyahu through the invitation. Speaking on Channel 2 TV, Herzog said the pope was essentially saying, "Do something. It can't go on like this."

Francis flew to Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, where he was warmly greeted by an honor guard. With trumpets blaring, the country's top officials lined up to shake his hand as he walked a red carpet.

Francis deplored Saturday's deadly shooting at Brussels' Jewish Museum as a "criminal act of anti-Semitic hatred." Two Israelis were among the dead.

He also condemned the Holocaust as the "enduring symbol of the depths to which human evil can sink." 

Francis is to visit Israel's national Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, on Monday.

 

Pope Francis waves upon his arrival at the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Sunday, May 25, 2014.

 

But the pope also lamented the dire state of Mideast peace efforts, saying the holy city of Jerusalem "remains deeply troubled."

He called for a "just and lasting solution" so that Israelis and Palestinians may live in peace. He said Israel deserves peace and security "within internationally recognized borders," while the Palestinians have a "right to live with dignity and with freedom of movement" in their own homeland.

In the run-up to Francis' arrival, Israel experienced a string of vandalism attacks on churches and Vatican properties, presumably by Jewish extremists.

Earlier Sunday, Israeli police arrested 26 Israeli hard-liners protesting outside a contested holy site revered by Catholics as the site of Jesus' Last Supper and by devout Jews as the burial site of the biblical King David.

Israeli extremists have spread rumors in recent weeks that Israel plans on turning the site over to Vatican control.

Francis made no mention of these incidents, but expressed hope that "this blessed land may be one which has no place for those who, by exploiting and absolutizing the value of their own religious tradition, prove intolerant and violent towards those of others."

In the spiritual highlight of his visit, the pope late Sunday headed to Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected, to meet the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. Their meeting marked the 50th anniversary of a similar meeting between their predecessors that ended a 900-year rift.

___

Associated Press writers Karin Laub in Bethlehem and Nicole Winfield and Ariel David in Jerusalem contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-gives-palestinians-boost-support-184213305.html