Etter reisen til Egypt: Paven tenker allerede på reisen til Det hellige Land

Thanks Egyptian Religious and Political Leaders for Welcome

VATICAN CITY, FEB 27 (ZENIT).- John Paul II's memories of his trip to Egypt were central to his address to pilgrims in the Vatican today, after his pilgrimage in Moses' footsteps.

The Holy Father thanked President Hosni Mubarak; Pope Shenouda III, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church; Grand Imam Mohammed Sayed Tantawi of Al-Azhar University, leader of the Sunni Muslims; and Abbot and Archbishop Damianos and his community of Greek Orthodox monks, who welcomed him in the ancient St. Catherine's Monastery, custodian of the Biblical memory of Mount Sinai.

The Holy Father spent time reflecting on his visit to Mount Sinai, the central object of his pilgrimage, emphasizing the Ten Commandments, inscribed not only in the tablets of the Law , but on the heart of man. "The fundamental precepts of the Natural Law are reflected in the Ten Commandments. The Decalogue points out the way for a fully human life. Outside of it there is no future of serenity and peace for persons, families, or nations."

Holy Land John Paul II is now thinking of the third stage of his pilgrimage to the places where the presence of God changed the history of man forever. "My eyes now turn to the Holy Land, the land of Jesus Christ, where, God willing, I will go during the last week of the month of March."

After the success of the latest stage of his pilgrimage, the Pontiff thanked those who accompanied him in prayer during the days of his trip to Egypt, and invoked the help of Mary, his protector, so that "my visit to places in which 2000 years ago the Word of God 'pitched his tent' among men, may redound to the benefit of the whole Church and the entire world."

Before bidding farewell, the Holy Father greeted members of the "Centesimus Annus - Pro Pontifice" Foundation, an institution created by the Pope in 1993 to spread human and Christian values in the social realm. The Foundation was ending its special Jubilee days in Rome, celebrated with an international congress that focused on the relation between ethics and finance. Because of this, the Bishop of Rome expressed the hope that the Jubilee will profoundly renew the heart of its members so that they will become "generous witnesses of the Gospel's social message."

Zenit - The World Seen From Rome