JOHN PAUL II ARRIVES IN "BLESSED LAND" OF ISRAEL

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - Following a half-hour flight from Amman, Jordan, the Holy Father arrived at 5:30 this afternoon at the Ben Gourion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. He was greeted by members of the diplomatic corps, by civil authorities, including Israeli President Ezer Weizman, and by religious authorities including Greek-Melkite Archbishop Boutros Mouallem of Haifa, vice president of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, and patriarchs and bishops of the Holy Land and neighboring countries.

Tel Aviv-Jaffa is Israel's largest urban area and most important economic and cultural center. The greater metropolitan area, which numbers 1,142,000 inhabitants, almost a quarter of the total population of Israel, was born in 1950 from the union of the ancient port of Jaffa and the Jewish periphery called Tel Aviv (Hill of Spring). Jaffa goes back to the 15th century before Christ. Built on three hills, Tel Aviv today extends for 10 kilometers along the central Mediterranean coast of Israel.

"Yesterday, from the heights of Mount Nebo," said the Pope in his speech at the welcome ceremony, "I looked across the Jordan Valley to this blessed land. Today it is with profound emotion that I set foot in the land where God chose to 'pitch his tent', and made it possible for man to encounter Him more directly."

John Paul II affirmed that his visit "is both a personal pilgrimage and the spiritual journey of the Bishop of Rome to the origins of our faith in 'the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. It is part of a larger pilgrimage of prayer and thanksgiving which led me first to Sinai. ... Now I shall have the privilege of visiting some of the places more closely associated with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Then, turning to the matter of peace, the Holy Father said: "We all know how urgent is the need for peace and justice, not for Israel alone but for the entire region. Many things have changed in relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel since my prdecessor Pope Paul VI came here in 1964. The establishment of diplomatic relations between us in 1994 set a seal on efforts to open an era of dialogue on questions of common interest concerning religious freedom, relations between Church and State and, more generally, relations between Christians and Jews."

"Christians and Jews," he underscored, "must make courageous efforts to remove all forms of prejudice. We must strive always and everywhere to present the true face of the Jews and Judaism, as likewise of Christians and Christianity, and this at every level of attitude, teaching and communication."

"My journey therefore is a pilgrimage ... to the origins of our religious history," Pope John Paul II stressed. "It is a tribute to the three religious traditions which co-exist in this land.

Saying he looked forward to meeting "the Catholic communities in their rich variety" and the members of various Christian Churches and communities, the Holy Father concluded: "I pray that my visit here will serve to encourage an increase of inter-religious dialogue that will lead Jews, Christians and Muslims to seek in their respective beliefs, and in the universal brotherhood that unites all the members of the human family, the motivation and perseverance to work for the peace and justice which the peoples of the Holy Land do not yet have, and for which they yearn so deeply."

At 6:30 p.m., the Pope is scheduled to board a helicopter for the 25-minute flight to Jerusalem. He will stay at the apostolic delegation.

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POPE VISITS PLACE WHERE THE LORD WAS BAPTIZED

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - At 3:15 p.m. today, the Pope travelled by helicopter from the apostolic nunciature of Amman to Wadi Al-Kharrar, in the Jordan Valley where he made a visit and presided at a brief liturgical ceremony.

Also known as 'Bethany in Transjordan,' not to be confused with the town of Bethany in Israel (house of Mary, Marta and Lazarus), Wadi Al-Kharrar lies 350 meters below the level of the Mediterranean and a few kilometers from the Dead Sea and, according to Scripture, it was "in Bethany, beyond the River Jordan where John was baptizing." Important archeological excavations, linked with the idea of the place of Jesus' Baptism, have taken place on this site.

On the banks of the Jordan, in the presence of 2,000 people, John Paul II pronounced a prayer of blessing to the Holy Trinity, recalling the Baptism of Jesus. Prior to the prayer he said: "In the Gospel of St. Luke we read that 'the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.' Here, at the River Jordan, where both banks are visited by hosts of pilgrims honoring the Baptism of the Lord, I too lift up my heart in prayer."

After the service, the Holy Father was scheduled to travel by helicopter to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman where, following a farewell ceremony with King Abdallah II of Jordan and religious and civil authorities, he will depart for Tel Aviv, Israel.

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2,000 CHILDREN MAKE FIRST COMMUNION AT PAPAL MASS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - At 9 this morning local time, in the stadium of Amman's Al-Hussein Youth City sports complex, Pope John Paul celebrated the first Mass of his Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Among those present were Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah, Greek Melkite Exarch Georges El-Murr, members of the Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land and representatives of other Churches and ecclesial communities.

Today's Mass was in honor of St. John the Baptist, prophet and precursor of Christ, and patron saint of Jordan. At the start of the celebration, water from the Jordan River was blessed and sprinkled on the faithful, including 2,000 children who received First Communion. The Gospel was proclaimed according to the Greek Melkite rite. Patriarch Sabbah introduced the profession of faith. At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope blessed three cornerstones which will be used in building a Maronite church, a Syro-Catholic church and the "Regina Pacis" Center.

"The Successor of Peter," said the Holy Father in his homily in English, "is a pilgrim in this land blessed by the presence of Moses and Elijah, where Jesus Himself taught and worked miracles, where the early Church bore witness in the lives of many saints and martyrs. In this year of the Great Jubilee the whole Church, and especially today the Christian community of Jordan, are spiritually united in a pilgrimage to the origins of our faith, a pilgrimage of conversion and penance, of reconciliation and peace."

The Pope highlighted the story of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, "the covenant of love between God and man" made on Mount Sinai when Moses received the Ten Commandments, "the divine pedagogy of love," and "the prophets, including John the Baptist, who paid with their blood for denouncing failures to keep the Covenant."

He also spoke of "the divine promise - 'I am with you ... to deliver you'," saying that "Jesus is the realization of the promise ... (and) the fulfillment of the Law. ... He reveals the true nature of the Promised Land where "'death shall be no more'."

John Paul II then turned to the fact that, "during the last five years, the Church in this region has been celebrating the Pastoral Synod of the Churches in the Holy Land." Saying that he "gladly receives the fruits of the synod," the Pope remarked that it "has made clear that your future lies in unity and solidarity."

Addressing the bishops and priests, he urged them to "be good shepherds according to the Heart of Christ!" to guide their flocks to the Kingdom of Christ and to "strengthen the pastoral life of your communities." He expressed "the Church's immense gratitude for your witness to the supremacy of God in all things" to the men and women religious.
He told the laity: "Do not be afraid to take your proper place and responsibility in the Church." He invited mothers, who today are celebrating Mother's Day in Jordan, "to be builders of a new civilization of love. Love your families! Teach them the dignity of all life; teach them the ways of harmony and peace."

The Pope asked young people "to build your future on the solid foundation of God's love" and to "help transform the world around you. ... To the children making their First Holy Communion, I say: Jesus is your best friend. He knows what is in your hearts. Stay close to Him, and in your prayers remember the Church and the Pope."

Following Mass, Pope John Paul went to the Latin vicariate of Amman where he had lunch with the patriarch, Latin patriarchal vicar for Jordan, bishops and members of the papal entourage. In the early afternoon he returned to the apostolic nunciature.

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IN MEMORIAM

VATICAN CITY, MAR 21, 2000 (VIS) - The following prelates died in recent weeks:

- Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-mei, archbishop of Shanghai, China, on March 12, aged 98.
- Bishop Ignatius Harsono, emeritus of Bogor, Indonesia, on March 1, aged 77.
- Bishop John James Howe S.S.C.M.E., emeritus of Myitkyina, Myanmar, on March 7, aged 88.
- Archbishop Gordon Anthony Pantin C.S.Sp., of Port of Spain, Trinidad, on March 11, aged 70.

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