TEL AVIV (CWNews.com) - As he arrived in Tel Aviv to begin his historic visit to Israel, Pope John Paul II said to his hosts: «We must struggle always and everywhere to present the true face of Jews and Judaism, of Christians and Christianity, at every level of understanding, teaching, and communication.»
The Holy Father arrived at the Tel Aviv airport in the afternoon on March 21, after a half-hour flight from Jordan. In an airport ceremony held in a light rain, the Pontiff was welcomed by Israel's President Ezer Weizman and Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
In his remarks, the Pope summarized the purposes of his visit to the Holy Land. «My dear Israeli brothers,» he said, «it is with profound emotion that I touch the soil of the land were God chose to 'place his tent,' thus allowing man to meet him in the most direct manner.» Emphasizing his strong desire to visit the Holy Land during the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Christ, the Pope stressed that this visit was a «personal pilgrimage» that would take «the Bishop of Rome to the origins of our faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.»
The Pontiff complemented the Israeli head of state, Weizman, as a «builder of peace.» And he added that the world «is following the peace process with great interest,» recognizing the «difficult search for a durable peace, with justice for all.»
The Pope also took note of the progress in relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people. Since the last trip of a Roman Pontiff to the Holy Land-- the visit by Pope Paul VI in 1968-- formal diplomatic relations have been established between the Holy See and Israel, he observed. He suggested that the two religious groups should now redouble their «courageous efforts to suppress all forms of prejudice.» In calling for mutual respect, the Pope used the same words he had used in a visit to the synagogue in Rome on April 13, 1986.
Finally the Pope said that his own «personal pilgrimage» could be seen as «homage to the three religious traditions that coexist on this land.» He prayed that «my visit will contribute to the growth of inter-religious dialogue» which in turn could help to furnish «the motivation and perseverance to work for that peace and that justice that all the peoples of the Holy Land do not yet have, but to which they all fervently aspire.»
Along with the Israeli government officials who met his plane, the Holy Father was welcomed to Israel by Catholic bishops of the Holy Land. Notable among them was the Melkite Archbishop Boutros Mouallem of Akka-- a see that includes Haifa, Nazareth, and all of Galilee. The appointment of Archbishop Mouallem in 1998 prompted a negative reaction from then- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was rebuffed by the Vatican when he lobbied heavily in favor of another candidate. Archbishop Mouallem was elected to his current post by the Synod of the Melkite Catholic Church, which accounts for the largest number of the Catholics in Galilee.
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update