AMMAN, Jordan-- On the first papal pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 36 years, an emotional Pope John Paul II called Monday for a resolution of the region's "grave and urgent" conflicts as he began a weeklong journey to retrace the footsteps of Jesus.
Walking stiffly and with the aid of a cane, the 79-year-old pontiff traveled directly from Amman's airport to wind-swept Mount Nebo, where tradition says that Moses first glimpsed the Promised Land. The hilltop is holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims, and was a fitting first stop for a pope seeking to repair the historical tension between the three religions that have quarreled for centuries in the Middle East.Children chanted, "We love the pope," and John Paul read briefly from the bible inside the basilica on Mount Nebo, which looks out on the Dead Sea and across Jordan's border to the hills of Jerusalem, partly shrouded in the afternoon haze.
At one point the pope knelt, clasped his hands together in prayer and closed his eyes. He appeared filled with emotion as he began a journey he has dreamed of making since becoming pontiff 22 years ago.
"With our gaze directed toward Jerusalem, let us lift up our prayers to almighty God for the people living in the land of promise, Jews, Muslims and Christians," John Paul said. "Bestow upon all who live here the gift of true peace, justice, fraternity."
The trip through Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories was born out of the pope's
strong desire to see Christendom's holiest sites in this millennial year, though the mission is freighted with much broader religious and political significance in this volatile region.
Jordan's King Abdullah alluded to that significance as he greeted the pope at Amman's airport.
"Your visit, your holiness, brings the hope for a brighter future to those who have known nothing but the miseries of the past," the king said. "Hope for the Palestinians who yearn for justice and stability. A promise for the Israelis of security and acceptance. Comfort for the Lebanese of a better tomorrow. And the hope for the Syrians that the sad chapter of war is finally over."
The pope said at the airport that "all Jordanians -- Muslims and Christians -- should consider themselves as one people, one family."
"In this area of the world, there are grave and urgent issues of justice, of the rights of peoples and nations, which have to be resolved," he said in English. "No matter how difficult, no matter how long, the process of seeking peace must continue."
The pope met privately with King Abdullah this evening. Keeping with the theme of interfaith harmony, the two men exchanged gifts: John Paul received a copy of the Koran, the king a picture of the Vatican.
Afterward, the pontiff headed back to the Vatican embassy residence for a private dinner with local Catholic leaders.
John Paul would prefer to focus on the spiritual and sidestep the region's political turmoil, but simply by setting foot in the Middle East, he becomes an actor in the long-running feud between Israelis and Arabs.
Due largely to political sensitivities, no pontiff has ventured into the Holy Land since Pope Paul VI visited in 1964. The Vatican and Israel had no diplomatic ties until 1994, and the two sides were so estranged that Paul VI traveled only to Christian religious sites and never mentioned Israel by name in public.
During a drive in his glass-enclosed popemobile, John Paul received an enthusiastic greeting from some of the 130,000 Catholics who make up about 3 percent of the population in this overwhelmingly Islamic country.
http://www.papalvisit.gov.il --
ASSOCIATED PRESS