Pope announces plans to visit Israel, West Bank and Jordan in May

Speaking in a rain-soaked St Peter's Square yesterday, Pope Francis announced long-awaited plans to the visit the Holy Land in May of this year. Outlining limited details of his trip, the pope said that "God willing", he would make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from May 24th-26th, visiting Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.

It was suspected by Vatican watchers that Francis would visit the Holy Land this year as he has made no secret of his desire to commemorate the January 5th, 1964, meeting between pope Paul VI and Orthodox Christian patriarch Athenagoras. Accordingly, the pope announced his trip yesterday, the day that marks the 50th anniversary of that historic meeting.

Ecumenical service
In the same spirit, one of the key moments of the trip will be an ecumenical service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem where Francis will be joined by the current patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholemew, as well as by representatives from other Christian churches in Jerusalem. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified and buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Israeli relations
Francis will be the fourth pope to visit Israel, following visits by John Paul II in 2000 and by Benedict in 2009. Vatican-Israeli relations were strained for much of the postwar era, partly because of the Holy See's reluctance to officially recognise the newly founded Jewish state. It was only in 1993 that John Paul II finally opened diplomatic relations with Israel, an initiative that was followed seven years later by a memorable visit which included stops at the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem, and at the Western Wall, where he famously consigned a hand- written plea asking forgiveness for Christian persecution.

There was widespread positive reaction to the papal announcement. In Jerusalem, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said Francis was “very welcome in Israel”, adding that he would be greeted “as warmly as his predecessors”.

The Palestine news agency, Wafa, yesterday said that President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the visit.