Posted: 05.08.09 | Last Update: 05.15.09
Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Journey to the Holy Land
Follow Pope Benedict XVI in an up–close and personal way on his first trip to the Holy Land. Get the “big picture” up–front and from behind the scenes as the pope visits Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories May 8–15. New photographs and text will be posted daily during the pope’s journey. Additional stories, videos and links begin HERE.
CNS | BAZ RATNER, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI steps off an Israeli air force helicopter at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport May 15 as he prepares to leave for Rome. The pope ended his weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land will an appeal for peace and a message of hope.
At a Tel Aviv departure ceremony he declared himself a friend of both Israelis and Palestinians and urged them to “break the vicious circle of violence. No friend can fail to weep at the suffering and loss of life that both peoples have endured over the last six decades. Allow me to make this appeal to all the people of these lands: No more bloodshed! No more fighting! No more terrorism! No more war!” he said.
CNS | CARSTEN KOALL, POOL VIA REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI kisses the Stone of Unction, the site where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City May 15. Christ’s empty tomb “speaks to us of hope,” he said.
“The Gospel reassures us that God can make all things new, that history need not be repeated, that memories can be healed, that the bitter fruits of recrimination and hostility can be overcome, and that a future of justice, peace, prosperity and cooperation can arise for every man and woman,” he said.
CNS | YANNIS BEHRAKIS
Pope Benedict prays May 15 inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher at the spot which marks the place Jesus was crucified at Golgatha. The church in the Old City of Jerusalem was one of the last places the pope visited during his weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The 82–year–old pontiff left Israel for Rome later in the day.
CNS | L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
Pope Benedict XVI holds hands with religious leaders, including Rabbi David Rosen (left of the pope) and Sheik Muafek Tarif (right of the pope), the Druze spiritual leader in Israel, during an interfaith meeting at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel, May 14. A song of peace was sung as the leaders held hands.
CNS | RONEN ZVULUN, REUTERS
A nun waves an Argentine national flag before the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at an open-air Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth May 14. Celebrating Mass in Nazareth, the hometown of the Holy Family, the pope urged the region’s people to keep their family bonds strong and to extend that love and acceptance to others, whether Christian or Muslim.
CNS | GIL COHEN MAGEN, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI leads an evening prayer service in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel, May 14.
CNS | L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
Pope Benedict XVI prays at the grotto of the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13. Tradition holds the grotto marks the spot where Jesus was born.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
A Catholic boy waves a photo of Pope Benedict XVI at Pope Benedict XVI’s Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth, Israel, May 14. The Mass at the new amphitheater, built into the hillside, drew the largest crowd of the pope’s eight-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land; organizers said 40,000 people attended.
CNS | RONEN ZVULUN, REUTERS
A nun waves an Italian national flag before the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at an open–air Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth May 14.
CNS | TONY GENTILE, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI waves as he celebrates an open-air Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth May 14. In his homily, Pope Benedict said, “Let us reaffirm here our commitment to be a leaven of respect and love in the world around us.”
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
Catholics cheer as Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrate Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth, Israel, May 14. The pope asked Christians and Muslims in Nazareth “to repair the damage that has been done, and in fidelity to our common belief in one God, the father of the human family, to work to build bridges and find the way to a peaceful coexistence.”
CNS | BAZ RATNER, REUTERS
A nun holds up images of Pope Benedict XVI as she waits for the arrival of the pontiff at an open–air Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth May 14.
LEFT | Israeli police officers stand guard as Pope Benedict XVI arrives for an open–air Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth May 14.
“Let everyone reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice, which kills men’s souls before it kills their bodies,” the pope said during his homily.
CNS | BAZ RATNER, REUTERS
CNS | AMIR COHEN, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd from his popemobile as he arrives for an open–air Mass on Mount Precipice in Nazareth May 14.
LEFT | A nun attends a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in Manger Square outside the Basilica of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13.
During his homily, the pope offered special greetings to the small group of Christians from the Gaza Strip who were able to get Israeli permits to travel to the Mass.
Father Jorge Hernandez, pastor of Holy Family Church in Gaza City, told Catholic News Service, “Although it is an injustice, we are grateful that at least one group was able to go out and can see the pope.”
The pope said, “My heart goes out to the pilgrims from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship and the suffering you have had to endure.”
CNS | FADI AROURI, REUTERS
CNS | YANNIS BEHRAKIS, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI gives communion as he celebrates Mass in Manger Square outside the Basilica of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
A nun holds a painting of Christ as Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass in Manger Square outside the Basilica of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13. The Basilica of the Nativity marks the place where Jesus was born.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
Pilgrims attend a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict in Manger Square outside the Basilica of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13.
CNS | L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS
Pope Benedict arrives to celebrate Mass in Manger Square in Bethlehem, West Bank, May 13.
CNS | MENAHEM KAHANA, POOL VIA REUTERS
Vatican and Palestinian officials surround the convoy of Pope Benedict XVI as it crosses through the controversial Israeli barrier at an Israeli army checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13. After arriving, the pope immediately declared the Vatican’s support for an independent Palestine.
CNS | AMMAR AWAD, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by other Christian leaders as he stands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a welcoming ceremony for the pope at the presidential compound in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13. The pope met with the leaders before celebrating Mass in Manger Square. “The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders,” the pope told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
Catholic pilgrims sit in an olive tree to catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI celebrating an outdoor Mass in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | DARREN WHITESIDE, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates an outdoor Mass in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
A nun carries an Israeli flag at an outdoor Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
A Filipino foreign worker wears a Pope Benedict XVI T-shirt during an outdoor Mass celebrated by the pope in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
Nuns sing at an outdoor Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | AMWAR AWAD, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI celebrates an outdoor Mass in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12. In his homily, the pope urged the region’s Christians to stay in the Holy Land and work for harmony among its people.
CNS | BAZ RATNER, REUTERS
Nuns pray during an outdoor Mass said by Pope Benedict XVI in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12. Israeli police said about 5,000 people attended the Mass.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
Catholic scouts play bagpipes before Pope Benedict XVI’s outdoor Mass in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | DEBBIE HILL
Sudanese refugees sing before Pope Benedict XVI’s outdoor Mass in the Josafat Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | AHIKAM SERI, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI, accompanied by his personal secretary, Msgr. Georg Ganswein, places a prayer for peace in a crevice of the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem May 12.
CNS | RINA CASTELNUOVO, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI and Israel’s President Shimon Peres plant an olive tree, an ancient symbol of peace and prosperity, in the garden of the presidential palace in Jerusalem May 11.
CNS | COURTESY OF YAD VASHEM
During his May 11 visit to Yad Vashem, Pope Benedict XVI was presented with this reproduction of a sketch by Jewish artist Felix Nussbaum, a concentration camp prisoner killed in the Nazi camp at Auschwitz in 1944. The sketch shows men wrapped in their talit, Jewish prayer shawls, in front of a camp barrack that serves as a makeshift synagogue. The original work is on display at the Holocaust Art Museum at Yad Vashem.
CNS | RONEN ZVULUN, REUTERS
A note written by Pope Benedict XVI is seen in the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial guest book May 11. The quote is from the Book of Lamentations and reads, “His mercies are not spent.” Speaking at the Holocaust memorial, the pope said the suffering of Jews under the Nazi extermination campaign must “never be denied, belittled or forgotten.”
CNS | YANNIS BEHRAKIS, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI observes a moment of silence in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem May 11. Speaking at the memorial, the pope said the suffering of Jews under the Nazi extermination campaign must “never be denied, belittled or forgotten.”
CNS | DARREN WHITESIDE, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI waves as he walks off the plane upon his arrival at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 11. In his arrival speech at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, the pope prayed that Isaiah’s prophecy would be fulfilled and all the peoples of the world would walk along God’s paths — “paths of peace and justice, paths that lead to reconciliation and harmony.”
CNS | MUHAMMAD HAMED, REUTERS
The cross of a Greek Orthodox church is seen as the sun sets at Bethany Beyond the Jordan May 10. Pope Benedict XVI visited the site near the east bank of the Jordan River, where it is believed Jesus was baptized. While there, the pope blessed the foundation stones of two Catholic churches — one Latin rite, the other Melkite rite — to be built at the location.
CNS | ALESSIA GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
Pope Benedict XVI is accompanied by Jordan’s King Abdullah, second from right, his wife Queen Rania, right, and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, left, during his visit to Bethany Beyond the Jordan May 10. It is believed to be the site where Jesus Christ was baptized near the Jordan River.
CNS | JAMAL SAIDI, REUTERS
Perched high on a pole, a man waves a Jordanian flag as Pope Benedict XVI arrives to celebrate Mass at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, May 10. During the service the pope encouraged Jordan’s 109,000 Catholics to trust Jesus, to trust in his love for his flock and to “persevere in your witness to the triumph of his love.”
CNS | TONY GENTILE, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd during an outdoor Mass at Amman International Stadium May 10. “Jesus knows what challenges you face, what trials you endure and the good that you do in his name,” the pope told the crowd in the stadium, which holds 25,000 people.
CNS | AHMED JADALLAH, REUTERS
Children wave Jordanian and Vatican flags during an outdoor Mass with Pope Benedict XVI in Amman, Jordan, May 10. Dressed in white robes and seated close to the altar platform, children from Jordan and Iraq received their first Communion from the pope during the service.
CNS | ALESSIA GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
Jordanians wave their national flag as Pope Benedict XVI arrives for Mass at Amman International Stadium May 10. “By its public respect for women and its defense of the innate dignity of every human person, the church in the Holy Land can make an important contribution to the advancement of a culture of true humanity and the building of a civilization of love,” the pope told the crowd.
CNS | JAMAL SAIDI, REUTERS
Members of the Missionaries of Charity wave flags during Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at Amman International Stadium May 10.
CNS | ALI JAREKJI, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI waves to those gathered for a prayer service at the Melkite Cathedral of St. George in Amman, Jordan, May 9. The pope was making a weeklong pastoral visit to the Holy Land.
CNS | ALESSIA GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
Pope Benedict XVI and Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham of Damascus, Syria, arrive for an evening prayer service at the Melkite Catholic Cathedral of St. George in Amman, Jordan, May 9.
CNS | TONY GENTILE, REUTERS
A girl waits for Pope Benedict XVI to arrive at King Hussein Mosque in Amman, Jordan, May 9.
RIGHT: Prince Ghazi Muhammad bin Talal walks with Pope Benedict XVI inside the new King Hussein Mosque in Amman, Jordan, May 9. After visiting the mosque, the pope said faith calls both Christians and Muslims to respect each other and join together to promote the common good.
CNS | ALESSIA GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
CNS | ALESSIA GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO
Pope Benedict XVI takes in the panoramic view from Mount Nebo May 9 in Madaba, Jordan. The place where Moses glimpsed the Promised Land before dying is marked by a modern sculpture of the prophet’s serpentine staff. Pope Benedict was making a week–long pastoral visit to the Holy Land.
CNS | JAMAL SAIDI, REUTERS
A Jordanian soldier stands guard as nuns chant slogans for Pope Benedict XVI at the Regina Pacis center in Amman, Jordan, May 8. The center is operated by three Comboni Missionary Sisters and a team of teachers, therapists and volunteers who educate and care for Muslims and Christians with disabilities.
CNS | L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by the crowd outside the Regina Pacis center in Amman, Jordan, May 8. The church center for people with disabilities was the pope’s first stop on his weeklong visit to the Holy Land.
CNS | TONY GENTILE, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI visits with Jordan's King Abdullah II, his wife Queen Rania, and their four children at the royal palace in Amman, Jordan, May 8.
CNS | TONY GENTILE, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI reviews the honor guard as he arrives at the royal palace in Amman, Jordan, May 8. The pope began his trip to the Holy Land May 8 by expressing his “deep respect for the Muslim community” and praising Jordan’s efforts to oppose conflict and violence between the West and the Islamic world.
CNS | YOUSEF ALLAN, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI, accompanied by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania, are greeted by the members of the royal family at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, May 8.
CNS | TONY GENTILE, REUTERS
Pope Benedict XVI arrives for a news conference aboard the aircraft on his way to Jordan May 8. The pope arrived in Jordan on the first leg of a weeklong pilgrimage to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.