Pope Francis plans to visit Israel as soon as next year, the Vatican
said, in what could be a landmark visit for a pontiff who has already
won plaudits from the Jewish community for his strong condemnation of
anti-Semitism.
On Thursday, the pope also met at the Vatican with Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, who invited him to visit Palestine as well.
Israeli President Shimon Peres had already extended an invitation to the
pope to visit the Holy Land shortly after the pontiff's election in
March.
Following the invitation from Mr. Abbas, "we can now start thinking
in a more concrete way regarding the planning of the visit," said
Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi, adding that it could take
place in 2014.
A papal trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories would follow
in the footsteps of Pope Francis's predecessors, Benedict XVI and John
Paul II.
Both sought to promote Christian reconciliation with Judaism as
emphasized in the key 1962-65 Second Vatican Council and do away with
any vestiges of anti-Semitism after centuries of ambiguity within the
church.