Holy Land readies for Francis’ visit
The pope will meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
JERUSALEM — Days ahead of Pope Francis’ scheduled arrival in Jerusalem as part of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Israeli authorities put the finishing touches on preparations for the visit, smoothing out protocol on pomp, protection and politics.
Half a century after the first papal visit to the country, Francis will be the fourth to visit Israel and third since 2000, after John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Francis’ pilgrimage commemorates the historic 1964 visit of Paul VI and his momentous meeting with Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras.
From Amman, Jordan, to Bethlehem in the West Bank to Jerusalem, the Holy Land visit is designed as a spiritual pilgrimage. But it is also a media and diplomatic event of elaborate and meticulous protocol, which both Israelis and Palestinians hope will benefit their agendas.
Francis will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A number of venues are potentially sensitive, such as the planned visit to Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl, the burial site of Zionist leader Theodore Herzl. Like the nearby Yad Vashem holocaust memorial, it is a routine stop for visiting dignitaries, causing controversy when skipped.
Some observers see Francis’ planned visit as especially significant, since Herzl’s request for Vatican support was rebuffed by Pope Pius-Xin 1904, and no previous pope has stopped at his grave.
Rabbi Abraham Skorka, a Jewish leader from the pope’s native Argentina who will accompany Francis on the trip, called the burial site visit a “meaningful act,” reflecting the pope’s understanding of Israel’s significance to the Jews. Around 10,000 police will be deployed during a visit for which Francis has refused offers of bulletproof transport.
To reduce chances of provocations such as vandalism of Christian and other sites, authorities have barred several well-known extremists from Jerusalem during the visit.
While Israeli and Palestinian officials keenly scrutinize each other’s role in the visit, the pope has insisted it will be a religious and spiritual pilgrimage, not a political visit.
“Pope Francis doesn’t take sides in the various conflicts; he maintains balance and symmetry,” said Raymond Cohen, a Hebrew University professor of international relations.
Cohen welcomed the visit as a sign of “ongoing improvement of relations” between the two but does not think it will be politically significant for Israel.
As for chances the pope will offer himself as a mediator to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace, “it didn’t work very well for John Kerry,” Cohen said, referring to the U.S. secretary of state’s tireless — but so far fruitless — efforts to bring peace to the region.