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Pope begins Mid-East pilgrimage | Pope begins Mid-East pilgrimage |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Pope Benedict XVI has left Rome for a visit to the Middle East - his first tour of the holy places of Christendom since his election four years ago. | |
He begins his week-long trip in Jordan, then goes to Israel and the West Bank. | |
The visit is aimed at encouraging the minority Christian community in the Middle East, and creating a better dialogue with Muslims and Jews. | |
Jordanian Islamist leaders have demanded that he apologise for a speech in 2006 that linked Islam and violence. | |
The eight-day tour - in which the Pope describes himself as a "pilgrim of peace" - is his first visit to the Middle East as pontiff. | |
Healing rifts | Healing rifts |
The head of the Roman Catholic Church is seeking to strengthen ties with Jewish and Muslim leaders after offending believers of both religions in the past three years. | |
David Willey, BBC News, Amman: | |
Pope Benedict would like to go down in history as a peacemaker. | |
But his chances of success are seen as slim by most political observers in the Middle East. | |
He has also offended, unintentionally he claims, believers belonging to both the Muslim and Jewish religions for differing reasons during the past three years. | |
In 2006, Benedict infuriated Muslims with a speech linking the Prophet Muhammad with violence. | |
He later said he was "deeply sorry" over the reaction to the remarks and that the passage he quoted did not reflect his own opinion. | |
But in Jordan, the opposition Islamic Action Front party said Benedict was not welcome unless he offered an outright apology. | |
"The government should push for an apology from the Pope, who should apologise for angering 1.5 billion Muslims in the world," IAF chief Zaki Bani Rsheid wrote in a letter to the Jordanian prime minister last month. | |
"Otherwise, he is not welcome in Jordan and his visit is rejected." | |
More recently, the German-born Pope offended Jewish leaders by lifting the ex-communication of a Holocaust-denying bishop. | |
Many in Israel have also been angered by the proposed sainthood of Pope Pius XII, reviled by some Jews for his passive stance during the Holocaust. | |
Political peacemaker | |
During the visit - which includes a stop in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank - Pope Benedict is expected to deliver a plea for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and for the establishment of a Palestinian homeland. | During the visit - which includes a stop in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank - Pope Benedict is expected to deliver a plea for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and for the establishment of a Palestinian homeland. |
The Pope should apologise for angering 1.5 billion Muslims, otherwise he is not welcome Zaki Bani Rsheid Islamic Action Front chief Pope in the Holy Land: The issues Profile: Pope Benedict XVI | |
But his main aim is to give hope and encouragement to the rapidly diminishing minority Christian community in the Middle East, says the BBC's Vatican correspondent David Willey. | But his main aim is to give hope and encouragement to the rapidly diminishing minority Christian community in the Middle East, says the BBC's Vatican correspondent David Willey. |
Before the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, up to 20% of the population of the Palestinian lands where Jesus Christ lived and died was Christian. That number has now dwindled to just two percent. | Before the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, up to 20% of the population of the Palestinian lands where Jesus Christ lived and died was Christian. That number has now dwindled to just two percent. |
On his first day in Amman, the Pope will have private talks King Abdullah, who claims direct descent from the Prophet Mohammad. | |
On Saturday, he will visit Mount Nebo, where, according to the Bible, the prophet Moses is said to have first seen the promised land. | |
What is your reaction to Pope Benedict's visit to the Middle East? Will it have a positive effect? Send us your comments using the form below. | What is your reaction to Pope Benedict's visit to the Middle East? Will it have a positive effect? Send us your comments using the form below. |
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions | The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions |