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Pope 'to visit Holy Land in May' Pope 'to visit Holy Land in May'
(about 1 hour later)
Pope Benedict XVI is to make his first visit to the Holy Land in May, Jerusalem's Latin patriarch has said.Pope Benedict XVI is to make his first visit to the Holy Land in May, Jerusalem's Latin patriarch has said.
The Pope wanted to "acquire first-hand knowledge of the hard conditions in our region", AFP news agency quoted Fuad Twal as saying.The Pope wanted to "acquire first-hand knowledge of the hard conditions in our region", AFP news agency quoted Fuad Twal as saying.
He did not give specific dates for the visit, but earlier media reports suggest he could travel to Jordan, Israel and the West Bank in mid-May. He did not give specific dates for the visit but earlier media reports suggest he could travel to Jordan, Israel and the West Bank in mid-May.
It will be his first visit to the Middle East since his election in 2005. He is expected to visit Nazareth and Bethlehem during the trip.
Pope Paul VI was the first pontiff to visit Israel in 1964. Pope John Paul II visited in 2000. While he is there the Pope will also meet the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Tense relations
The trip will be his first visit to the Middle East since his election as pontiff in 2005. The supreme pontiff wishes to pray with us and for us, and to acquire a first-hand knowledge of the hard conditions of our region Fuad Twal, Vatican representative in the Holy Land
Monsignor Fuad Twal, a senior Vatican representative in the Holy Land, gave the first official confirmation of the trip during his Christmas message.
He said that Pope Benedict would, just like his immediate predecessors, be visiting Jerusalem as a pilgrim.
"The supreme pontiff wishes to pray with us and for us, and to acquire a first-hand knowledge of the hard conditions of our region," Mr Twal said.
Relations between Israel and the Vatican have recently been tense after news leaked out that the Vatican is considering making the wartime Pope Pius XII a saint, reports the BBC's David Willey in Rome.
Some Israelis accuse Pius of having turned a blind eye to the Holocaust, although the Vatican denies this.
However the beatification of the sometimes controversial Pope has been put on hold by Pope Benedict for the time being, as he wants to create a positive atmosphere for his first visit to the Middle East, says our correspondent.
Pope Paul VI was the first pontiff to visit Israel, in 1964. The last Pope, John Paul II, visited in 2000.