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Pope Francis makes surprise stop to pray at controversial West Bank wall seen as symbol of Israeli oppression in Palestine Pope Francis tries to bridge Middle East divide with surprise stop to pray at controversial West Bank wall seen as symbol of Israeli oppression in Palestine
(about 11 hours later)
Pope Francis has dramatically thrown himself into the midst of Middle-East politics while on a symbolic visit to the Holy Land, in the same day securing a summit with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents and making an unscheduled stop to pray at a controversial wall erected around Bethlehem. Pope Francis projected empathy with Palestinian suffering and made a foray into Middle East diplomacy on Sunday during a visit to Bethlehem.
US-moderated peace talks between the two sides broke down unceremoniously in late April, but at the end of an open air Mass today the Pope invited President Mahmoud Abbas and President Shimon Peres to meet with him in the Vatican next month and pray for peace. On his way to celebrate Mass in Manger Square, near the traditional site of Jesus’s birth, the head of the Roman Catholic Church made a powerful gesture to Palestinians by praying and touching his head to the daunting, grey, Israeli separation barrier that divides Bethlehem from Jerusalem and which, to  Palestinians, is the embodiment of Israeli oppression.
In what has been described as a moral victory for the Pontiff – who is named after the peace-loving Saint Francis of Assisi – the offices of both presidents were quick to confirm their acceptance. The Pope will spend Monday, the last day of his three-day trip to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in Jerusalem visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and the Western Wall – Judaism’s holiest site. He will hold a Mass at the traditional site of the Last Supper and hold talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres, and Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Pope’s very arrival today via helicopter in Bethlehem was seen as symbolic of his support for Palestinian ambitions for their own state – previous papal visits have invariably involved travelling in by car from Israel-occupied land. The Vatican’s official spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi. said the pontiff invited the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to the Vatican and pray for peace with him and Mr Peres.
Coming from Jordan in the second leg of a three-day Middle East tour, Francis also delighted his hosts by referring specifically to “the state of Palestine”, while also making clear that both sides must be open to negotiation if an end is to be brought to what he called an “unacceptable” stalemate. Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ (AP)
Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ (AP) And providing the image that will likely become the emblem of his brief stay in birthplace of Christ, Francis’s convoy paused beside the hulking wall which, spanning three sides of Bethlehem, Palestinians regard as a symbol of Israeli oppression. “I offer my home in the Vatican as the place of prayer. All of us, especially those at the service of their people, have the duty to become artisans of peace especially by our prayers. Building peace is difficult but living without it is a torment,” Mr. Lombardi quoted the pontiff as saying.
The Pope rested his forehead against the concrete structure that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem, and stood alongside a child holding a Palestinian flag and graffiti saying “Free Palestine” as he prayed. Later, both Mr Abbas and Mr Peres confirmed that they would meet the Pope in the Vatican next month.
Israel says the barrier, erected 10 years ago during a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings, is a necessary security measure.  Palestinians describe it as a bid by Israel to partition off territory and grab land they want for their future state. The pope also visited Bethlehem's Dehaishe Refugee Camp, where children greeted him with songs and gifts expressing their longing for homes in what became Israel that their forebears lost during the 1948 war in which they fled or were expelled.''Please look always for the future, have hope in the future,''the pontiff told them. ''It's very important to know that violence only brings violence. You can only succeed with peace.''
Pope Francis and the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas at a welcoming ceremony on Sunday 25 May in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem Francis’s trip has already been marked by controversy, as earlier Israeli police confirmed they arrested 26 Jewish nationalists who took part in a protest at the Cenacle in Jerusalem, the traditional site of Jesus's Last Supper, where the Pope is due to hold mass tomorrow. Pope Francis and the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas at a welcoming ceremony on Sunday 25 May in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem
If the pope meets Mr. Abbas and Mr. Peres as expected next month, he will be preaching to the converted. The dovish Mr. Peres, who has only ceremonial powers, and Mr. Abbas reached an outline peace deal two years ago in secret talks. The pope did not invite hard line Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pray with Mr. Abbas because ''it would be too political with Netanyahu''said Jamal Daibes, spokesman for the pontiff's Holy Land visit.
For Palestinians, the most resonant part of the visit was at the separation barrier. The pope descended from his protective vehicle to approach the barrier, a structure Israel says is needed to keep out suicide bombers but which for Palestinians signifies how occupation cages them in..''The pope remained in silent prayer for 3,4, 5 minutes at the wall, touched it with his head, then went away,'' Father Lombardi said.
Fadi Salameh, a 27-year-old tourism worker who attended the mass, said this was ''extremely positive. It shows he identifies with the suffering of all the people. He's making the world a better place'' he said
Mr. Abbas said he had briefed the pope on ''obstacles'' the Israelis were setting to peace, foremost among them the settlements which many observers blame for undermining the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations that collapsed last month. While Israel blames Mr. Abbas for the talks failure, the pope termed him a ''man of peace.''
But speaking at the presidential palace in Bethlehem, Pope Francis avoided directly blaming Israel for the impasse as his hosts would have wanted. '' The time has come for everyone to find the courage to be generous and creative in the service of the common good, to have the courage to forge a peace which rests on the acknowledgment by all of the right of two states to exist and to live in peace and security within internationally recognized borders,'' he said.
At the mass Christians who came from all over the West Bank, Gaza and inside Israel said the papal visit was giving a boost to the dwindling Christian minority, vastly outnumbered by its Moslem and Christian neighbors. ''This is encouraging Christians and giving them strength.'' said Suhair Makhoul, a social worker from the northern Israeli city of Acre.
A highlight of the trip was scheduled for late on Sunday when the pope was due to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's orthodox Christians to push forward inter-church conciliation.
* Francis’s trip has already been marked by controversy, as earlier Israeli police confirmed they arrested 26 Jewish nationalists who took part in a protest at the Cenacle in Jerusalem, the traditional site of Jesus's Last Supper, where the Pope is due to hold mass.
The protesters say the authorities are preparing to hand the Church the site, where some Jews believe King David is buried. The Israeli government has denied any such deal.The protesters say the authorities are preparing to hand the Church the site, where some Jews believe King David is buried. The Israeli government has denied any such deal.
Israel has blamed the Palestinian president for the failure of the latest peace talks, but today, standing alongside Abbas, Francis pointedly referred to him as “a man of peace and a peacemaker”.Israel has blamed the Palestinian president for the failure of the latest peace talks, but today, standing alongside Abbas, Francis pointedly referred to him as “a man of peace and a peacemaker”.
Abbas’s spokesman later said that the Pope’s proposed Vatican talks would be scheduled for some time in June, and Peres, a 90-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, is set to step down over the summer, said: “We welcome Pope Francis' invitation to the Vatican. President Peres has supported and will continue to support all avenues to bring about peace.”
In order to avoid further diplomatic tangles than necessary today, Francis was due to return to his helicopter and fly to Tel Aviv airport for a welcoming reception from Israeli leaders, rather than drive the short distance to Jerusalem.
From Tel Aviv, he will fly to Jerusalem for what he has said is the main purpose of the trip - to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders, who moved to end centuries of bitter divisions between the two churches.
Additional reporting by agencies