The Visit of Pope John Paul II
Welcome ceremony at Ben-Gurion Airport
March 21, 2000
Address by His Holiness Pope John Paul II
Dear President Weizman, Madam Weizman, Dear Prime Minister Barak,
Madam Barak, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Yesterday, from the heights of Mount Nebo I looked across the
Jordan Valley to this blessed land. Today, it is with profound
emotion that I set foot in the land where God chose to "pitch his
tent", and made it possible for man to encounter him more
directly.
In this year of the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of
Jesus Christ, it has been my strong personal desire to come here
and to pray in the most important places which, from ancient
times, have seen God's interventions, the wonders he has done.
"You are the God who works wonders. You showed your power among
these peoples".
Mr. President, I thank you for your warm welcome, and in your
person I greet all the people of the State of Israel.
My visit is both a personal pilgrimage and the spiritual journey
of the Bishop of Rome to the origins of our faith in "the God of
Abraham, of Issac and of Jacob". It is part of a larger
pilgrimage of prayer and thanksgiving which led me first to
Sinai, the Mountain of the Covenant, the place of the decisive
revelation which shaped the subsequent history of salvation. Now
I shall have the privilege of visiting some of the places more
closely connected with the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Along every step of the way I am moved by a vivid sense
of God who has gone before us and leads us on, who wants us to
honour him in spirit and in truth, to acknowledge the differences
between us, but also to recognize in every human being the image
and likeness of the one creator of heaven and earth.
Mr. President, you are known as a man of peace and a peacemaker.
We all know how urgent is the need for peace and justice, not for
Israel alone but for the entire region. Many things have changed
in relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel since
my predecessor Pope Paul VI came here in 1964. The establishment
of diplomatic relations between us in 1994 set a seal on efforts
to open an era of dialogue on questions of common interest
concerning religious freedom, relations between Church and
State and, more generally, relations between Christians and Jews.
On another level, world opinion follows with close attention the
peace process which finds all the peoples of the region involved
in the difficult search for a lasting peace with justice for all.
With new-found openness towards one another, Christians and Jews
together must make courageous efforts to remove all forms of
prejudice. We must strive always and everywhere to present the
true face of the Jews and of Judaism, as likewise of Christians
and of Christianity, and this at every level of attitude,
teaching and communication.
My journey therefore is a pilgrimage, in a spirit of humble
gratitude and hope, to the origins of our religious history. It
is a tribute to the three religious traditions which co-exist in
this land. For a long time I have looked forward to meeting the
faithful of the Catholic communities in their rich variety, and
the members of the various Christian churches and communities
present in the Holy Land. I pray that my visit will serve to
encourage an increase of interreligious dialogue that will lead
Jews, Christians and Muslims to seek in their respective beliefs,
and in the universal brotherhood that unites all the members of
the human family, the motivation and the perseverance to work for
the peace and justice which the peoples of the Holy Land do not
yet have, and for which they yearn so deeply. The Psalmist
reminds us that peace is God's gift: "I will hear what the Lord
God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace, peace for his
people and his friends and those who turn to him in their
hearts".
May peace be God's gift to the land he chose as his own!
Shalom.