Thursday, March 27, 2014

A pilgrim in the Holy Land

Today, the Vatican Press Office published the itinerary for the Holy Father's upcoming pilgrimage to the Holy Land on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras which took place in January 1964.


Pilgrimage of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
in the Holy Land

Saturday, May 24, 2014
At 8:15am, the Holy Father is scheduled to depart from Rome's Fumicino airport.  The flight will travel to Amman, Jordan, where it is scheduled to arrive at 1:00pm local time at the Queen Alia International Airport.

At 1:45pm, there will be an official welcoming ceremony at the Reale Al-Husseini Palace in Amman.  The Holy Father will pay a courtesy visit to Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Jordan.

At 2:20pm, the Holy Father will meet with leaders from the Kingdom of Jordan.

At 4:00pm, the Holy Father will preside at the celebration of a Mass which will be celebrated in the International Stadium of Amman.

At 7:00pm, the Holy Father will visit the Baptismal Site, where it is believed that Jesus was baptized, at Bethany beyond the Jordan.

At 7:15pm, the Holy Father will meet with refugees and with disabled youth in the Latin church at Bethany beyond the Jordan.

Sunday, May 25, 2014
At 8:15am, there will be a departure ceremony conducted at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman; at 8:30am, the Holy Father will depart by helicopter and fly to Bethlehem where he is scheduled to arrive at 9:20am.

 At 9:30am, an official welcoming ceremony will take place at the Presidential Palace in Bethlehem, and the Holy Father will pay a courtesy visit to the President of the State of Palestine.

At 10:00am, the Pope will meet with the Palestinian authorities.

At 11:00am, Pope Francis will preside at the celebration of a Mass which will take place in Manger Square in Bethlehem.  At the conclusion of the Mass, the Holy Father will lead the recitation of the Regina Coeli and address a few words to those who are present.

At 1:30pm, the Holy Father will share lunch with some Palestine families at the Casa Nova Franciscan Convent in Bethlehem.

At 3:00pm, His Holiness will make a private visit to the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and at 3:20pm, he will meet with children from the Dheisheh, Aida and Beit Jibrin refugee camps.  This meeting will take place at the Phoenix Centre located in the Dheisheh refugee camp.

At 3:45pm, there will be a departure ceremony conducted at the heliport of Bethlehem and at 4:00pm, the Holy Father will leave Bethlehem and travel by helicopter to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.

At 4:30pm, there will be a welcoming ceremony conducted at Ben Gurion International Airport and the Holy Father will then travel by helicopter to Jerusalem.  Arrival on Mount Scopus is scheduled for 5:45pm local time.

At 6:15pm, the Holy Father will meet privately with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in the Apostolic Delegation in Jerusalem.  During their meeting, they will sign a joint declaration.

At 7:00pm, Pope Francis will participate in an Ecumenical Gathering commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras.  This meeting will take place in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.

Pope Paul VI met Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem in January 1964

At 8:15pm, the Holy Father will dine with the Patriarchs, Bishops and members of the Papal party at the Latin Patriarcate in Jersualem.

 Monday, May 26, 2014
At 8:15am, the Holy Father will visit with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in the Great Council building on the Temple Mount.

At 9:10am, the Pope will visit the Western Wall.

At 9:45am, His Holiness will place a wreath of flowers on Mount Herzl and at 10:00am he will visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.

At 10:45am, Pope Francis will pay a courtesy visit to the two chief Rabbis of Israel at the Heichal Shlomo Centre, near the Jerusalem Great Synagogue.

At 11:45am, the Roman Pontiff will pay a courtesy visit to the President of the State of Israel in the Presidential Palace

At 1:00pm, the Pope will meet in private audience with the Prime Minister of Israel at the Notre Dame Jerusalem Centre, and at 1:30pm he will lunch with the members of the Papal party at that same Centre.

At 3:30pm, His Holiness will visit privately with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in a building facing the Orthodox Church of Viri Galileai on the Mount of Olives, and at 4:00pm, the Holy Father will meet with priests, religious and seminarians in the church of Gethsemane, near the Garden of Olives.

At 5:20pm, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass with the Ordinaries of the Holy Land and with the members of the Papal party in the Upper Room.

At 7:30pm, Pope Francis will be transferred by helicopter from Mount Scopus to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.  There, an official departure ceremony will begin at 8:00pm and the Pope will depart for Rome at 8:15pm.  Arrival at Rome's Campino Airport is scheduled for 11:00pm that night. 

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