Pope Benedict XIV to Visit Israel in May '09

It is planned that Pope Benedict will arrive in Jordan on May 10 and spend the next four days in Israel
 
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert confirmed last Sunday the spring pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XIV. The Pope is set to visit Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories in May.
 
Olmert told his cabinet that "President Shimon Peres will accompany Pope Benedict to various sites in Israel.”
 
It is planned that Pope Benedict will arrive in Jordan on May 10 and spend the next four days in Israel.
 
This visit willbe the third visit of a reigning pontiff to Israel since the state was reborn in 1948.
 
Pope Paul VI made a one-day stopover from Jordan in 1964. In March 2000, Pope John Paul II made a five-day pilgrimage to Israel and the Palestinian territories, during which he visited Christian and Jewish holy sites.
 
The pope is expected to tour sites in Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, as well as the Center and North. He will also visit sites in the Palestinian Authority.