Pope Benedict XVI's May visit to the Holy Land will be purely spiritual, a papal envoy in Amman said on Sunday. "His Holiness desires to visit as a pilgrim in our Holy Land to pray with and for us," said Bishop Francis Assisi Chullikat, the Vatican ambassador to Jordan, during a press conference held at the Latin Church in the capital.
Vatican sources have said that the planned trip by the Pope to Israel could be "complicated" by the situation in Gaza after a 22-day devastating Israeli offensive on the coastal enclave.
"The organisation of the visit is tied mainly to political questions," Cardinal Walter Kasper said in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica a few days after the onslaught ended on January 19.
The pontiff confirmed his May 8-15 visit to Jordan and the Holy Land during the end of his customary Sunday Angelus prayer through a live TV broadcast from the Vatican on Sunday.
His Holiness asked the gathered Christian community yesterday "to pray for my two trips", referring to his trip to Africa on March 17, and the pilgrimage to Jordan and the Holy Land on May 8.
The visit to Jordan will be His Holiness' 12th international visit and the first to an Arab country since he became Pope in April 2005.
"Jordan can take pride in being the first Arab country visited by His Holiness," the Vatican ambassador said.
Bishop Selim Sayegh, the Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan, noted that the pilgrimage to Jordan is an assent to the invitation extended by His Majesty King Abdullah. He pointed out Jordan's biblical significance as a "blessed and holy land".
"The invitation from His Majesty was delivered personally to Pope Benedict XVI by Her Majesty Queen Rania during her private audience with His Holiness in 2007," the Vatican ambassador said during the press conference.
He said that during the meeting, Queen Rania stated that King Abdullah was "keen to enhance cooperation with the Pope and the Vatican" to bring about a permanent, comprehensive and just peace in the region.
The ambassador said that on several occasions, the Pope has acknowledged the pivotal role the Kingdom plays in the search for peace in the region by always being a dialogue partner, open to all and striving for a just and lasting peace.
"It is going to be the third papal visit to Jordan," he added.
Both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II visited Jordan and the Holy Land in 1964 and 2000 respectively.
"Both started their pilgrimage to the holy lands from Jordan," said Archbishop Yaser Ayyash, Greek Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Petra and Philadelphia.
He said that Pope Benedict XVI will follow their steps as part of a holy tradition of apostolic pilgrimage.
Regarding the papal programme, Bishop Sayegh said that Pope's itinerary will be announced at a follow-up press conference, whose date has not been defined yet.
However, the Catholic Church said in February that the pontiff's itinerary in Jordan includes the King Hussein Mosque in Amman, the largest in the Kingdom, which will be his second visit to a Muslim place of worship since becoming Pope in 2005. In 2006, Benedict prayed at Turkey's famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, Iraqi leaders have invited Benedict XVI to visit Baghdad, Chullikat told the press conference.
"One thing I can tell you about the visit to Baghdad is that both President [Jalal] Talabani and Prime Minister [Nouri] Maliki have personally invited the Holy Father to visit Iraq," the apostolic nuncio to Jordan said.
"So the invitation is there, but we don't know exactly when that would happen, and the Holy Father eventually will give consideration."
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(Source: JT)