This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8051194.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Pope prays at crucifixion church | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Pope Benedict XVI is leading prayers at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on the final day of his pilgrimage to the Middle East. | |
| The church is believed to stand upon the site where Jesus was crucified. | The church is believed to stand upon the site where Jesus was crucified. |
| The Pope is devoting the last hours of his eight-day tour of Israel to talks about Christian unity. | |
| He has used the at times contentious visit to call for a Palestinian state and urge all sides in the Middle-East conflict to settle their differences. | |
| But the German-born pontiff has faced criticism from some Israelis for what they said was a failure to sufficiently apologise for Nazi atrocities against Jews in World War II. | |
| The visit has also included a tour of a Palestinian refugee camp and meetings with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders. | |
| Divided church | Divided church |
| The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the holiest shrines in Christendom, administered jointly by Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Armenian and Ethiopian clerics. | |
| POPE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Monday Arrives in Israel, meets President Shimon PeresTuesday Visits the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. Celebrates Holy Mass in Josaphat ValleyWednesday Visits Bethlehem, visits refugees, meets Mahmoud AbbasThursday Mass in Nazareth, talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, meets FranciscansFriday Meets Orthodox Christian leaders, departs class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/8040419.stm">Itinerary: Israel and West Bank class="" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/8050505.stm">Reflections on Pope's tour class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/holy_sites/html/default.stm">Guide: Jerusalem's holy sites | |
| The BBC's David Willey, travelling with the Pope, says the factions frequently argue about the division of the different chapels of worship in the huge edifice. | |
| The church which was situated outside the city walls in ancient times but today lies in the heart of old Jerusalem in the middle of a bazaar, shops and mosques, as well as other Christian churches commemorating the events of 2,000 years ago. | |
| Our correspondent says that Israelis hope that Pope's visit - the highlight of his final day here - will boost pilgrim tourism. | |
| The Pope's busy tour has included visits to sites sacred to all three monotheistic religions. | |
| Earlier this week, he became the first pope to visit the Dome of the Rock, the Islamic mosque built on the site known to Jews as the Temple Mount. | |
| He also prayed for peace at the Western Wall, one of the most holy places in Judaism, and travelled into the occupied West Bank to hold an open air mass in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Holy Nativity, said to be where Jesus was born. | |
| On Thursday, he held another Mass in Nazareth, home to a large Arab Christian community and the reputed boyhood home of Jesus. | |
| The Pope's many speeches during the tour have included several strong political statements, including his assertion of the rights of Palestinians to a sovereign homeland. | |
| But at the Mass in Bethlehem, he urged Palestinian youth to resist resorting to violence as a means of achieving their "legitimate aspirations". | |
| He has faced criticism in the Israeli media for failing to express sufficient remorse for the Holocaust and over his alleged membership of the Hitler Youth as a teenager. | |
| The Vatican at one point denied he had ever been a member, which appeared to contradict the Pope's own memoirs. | |
| The Pope will fly back to Rome later on Friday, well before the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. | |
| Have you seen Pope Benedict during his tour of the Middle East? Have you attended a papal Mass in the region? | Have you seen Pope Benedict during his tour of the Middle East? Have you attended a papal Mass in the region? |
| Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here.Read the terms and conditions | Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here.Read the terms and conditions |
| At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. | At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. |