Foto Friday – Papal Visit
Filed under: Foto Friday, General, Religion, Travel
I’m in London this week and so can vouch for the fact that Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Israel did not go unnoticed by the international press. As always though, the message got muddled. For example, this meeting with the chief Asheknazi and Sephardi rabbis of Israel — see the sharp shadow on the wall? A British paper here ran a photo from the same session. But their photo showed His Holiness sitting all lonely and overshadowed by a giant black hat.
In fact, the true message of the Pope’s visit — interfaith and tolerance — was better represented by this photo, a meeting in the Galilee between the Pope and leaders of different religious communities in Israel, including Christians, Muslims, Jews, Druze and others…
…the visit to Yad VaShem…
…and a prayer at the Western Wall.
And yes, he left a note…
…and drove around in a Pope-mobile.
For the faithful, the visit was an important one. The itinerary included several outdoor masses, such as the afternoon Mass at the Garden of Gethsemane.
This week’s photos courtesy of the Government Press Office. Visit the Ministry of Tourism website for more information about about Christian holy sites and pilgrimage itineraries.
Pope fever grabs Israel
The pope arrives in Israel tomorrow, and to put it bluntly, the whole country’s gone pope crazy. Or to be more accurate, all the authorities have gone pope crazy.
Pope Benedict XIV on route to Israel
We’ve got conferences, briefings and meetings; press trips to see the places the pope will visit, media tours to explore the Christian holy sites, even an expedition to examine Jerusalem’s ancient olive groves in the Garden of Gethsemane. Well, they do date back centuries.
There’s pope stamps, a new pope website (translated into nine languages and including live footage of his pilgrimage), and pope memorabilia. The Technion is even presenting him with a bible the size of a pinhead, as a welcome present.
The country’s leaders are laying out their welcome mats, from the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, to Stas Misezhnikov, the Tourism Minister, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, the Mayor of Jerusalem, and the Mayor of Nazareth. Everyone is getting in on the action.
At Ben Gurion airport they’re taking the welcome mat seriously, and doing a trial run today of rolling out the red carpet in preparation for Pope Benedict XVI ’s landing there tomorrow. He’s expected in at 11.15am, with an entourage of 40 and a press corps of 70.
Pope Benedict’s schedule is exhausting. He’ll visit 23 sites across the country in just five days. Every minute appears to be accounted for as Israel’s leaders scramble for photo opportunities in what – apart from this visit – has admittedly been a pretty bad year PR wise.
While all this fuss may be passing the average Israeli by – most people here seem more interested in tonight’s Depeche Mode concert, while kids are piling up their bonfires for Lag Ba’Omer – Jerusalemites at least will be only too aware of the visit, as major congestion is expected there on Monday and Tuesday with all the main roads closed in the capital.
I won’t be rushing out to join the cheering crowds, but I’d still like to say welcome from Israelity, and wish the pope a pleasant stay.
If you get tired of the crowds, give us a call.
Pooping out the Pope
Filed under: General, History and Culture, Religion, Travel, coexistence
Pope Benedict XVI welcomes Israeli President Shimon Peres at the pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo near Rome in 2007.
It will mark the first visit of a pope to Israel since Pope John Paul II made a five-day pilgrimage in March, 2000.
I’m not sure who put together Pope Benedict XVI’s schedule, but even doing a quick scan of it left me breathless. It looks like somebody’s trying to poop out this pope, expecially considering he’s in his 70s.
Take a deep breath and imagine you’re in the Popemobile:
Monday, May 11
11:00 Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Official Welcoming Ceremony
12:05 Arrival at Mount Scopus helipad, Jerusalem. Welcoming Ceremony by Jerusalem Mayor, Nir Barkat.
16:05 Visit to the President’s Residence, joint planting of a tree in the Presidential Garden
17:30 Visit to Yad Vashem, Memorial ceremony at the Remembrance Hall; Wreath laying; Address by the Pope.
19:00 Interfaith Meeting, Notre Dame HotelTuesday, May 12
09:15 Meeting with the Mufti, Temple Mount
10:00 Visit to the Western Wall
10:35 Meeting with the Chief Rabbis, Heichal Shlomo
12:00 Visit to the Church of Dormition – site of the Last Supper
12:30 Visit and Prayer at Latin Patriarch
16:15 Mass at the Garden of GethsemaneWednesday May 13
08:00-19:00 Visit to BethlehemThursday May 14
08:30 Travel to Nazareth
09:15 Arrival in Nazareth, Welcoming Ceremony
10:00 Mass at Mount of the Precipice
15:50 Meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Church of the Annunciation
16:30 Meeting with the Faith Heads in Israel, Church of the Annunciation
17:30 Prayer at the Church of the Annunciation
19:00 Return to JerusalemFriday May 15
09:15 Meeting at the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch
10:00 Visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
13:30 Leaving Ceremony, Ben Gurion Airport
Whew! Talk about an intense four days. Let’s hope the Pope has some comfortable walking shoes.
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