Today the Pope arrived in Jordan. He is first stopping there and then coming to Israel and the Palestinian territories. For Christians in this area of the world, the visit of the Pope is a very big deal. years. For me, and others of us in the western world, it is hard to understand the excitement over Pope Benedict XVI's visit and the amount of preparation that is going into it. Rundown roads are be repaired, everywhere is getting a Spring cleaning, new stages are being built, and special decorations are being put up everywhere he visits. The Pope's visit means a lot to the Christian community, which is dramatically decreasing in the Middle East because of emigration due to the instability of many places in this region. His visit to the Palestinian territories is especially meaningful, as most of the small Christian population in Israel-Palestine is Palestinian. During Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Israel-Palestine, he will most likely try to focus on the positive sides to peace, dialogue, and reconciliation. This will be difficult, however, in Israel-Palestine where he will be faced with the decision to acknowledge the suffering of the Palestinian population or appease the Jewish majority. The question for many is, will he make a strong statement that will really help strengthen the Palestinian Christian population, or will he try to avoid controversy by glossing over the serious issues facing Palestinians in the area? The Pope is already planning on visiting a refugee camp in Bethlehem, but how much will he see in his extremely secure and sheltered tour and how much will he dare to voice? Although the Pope may try to avoid politics, coming to Israel-Palestine, where politics are unavoidable, political messages will be derived both from what he does say and what he does not say.
Click here to read articles discussing the meaning of Pope Benedict XVI's visit. I will be adding more throughout the week that point out significant developments.
Faithful throng Papal Mass in Amman (from Al-Jazeera)
Israel cranks up propaganda machine for papal visit (from Globe and Mail)
Take Action for the Palestinian Christians on the Eve of the Pope's Visit (Churches for Middle East Peace)
Hear Nora Carmi, one of the ladies with whom I work at Sabeel, speak on this piece about the Pope's visit. She doesn't speak until the last 15 minutes of the broadcast, but the whole thing gives a lot of different view points about the Pope's visit:
BBC broadcast on the Pope's Visit
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment