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ABOUT THE POPE'S VISIT TO THE HOLY LAND
The visit of His Holiness John Paul II to Palestine represents a real historical event for a series of reasons.
The first one is undoubtedly that Palestine is, by essence, the Holy Land, and the original cradle of the Christian message. Thus, not only do Christian Palestinians consider themselves as the direct descendants and spiritual heirs of the first Christians, but Palestinian Moslems themselves chreish this dimension of the common motherland, see in it a source of pride and an irreplaceable component of their heritage and their identity.
The second one is that this visit of the Pontiff is the first in History which consecrates the authority, that is to say the sovereignty, of the Palestinian People on its land. President Arafat has indeed met more than once in the past with the Holy Father, but this was the first encounter on Palestinian soil, on the territory of the Palestinian State. In this sense, his visit is worth a thousand recognitions, and needs no comment.
But, above all, this visit was preceded by the historical agreement signed last month between the Holy See and the PLO, which consecrates, amongst other things, Palestinian legitimacy in Jerusalem. This agreement affirms the support of the Holy See for the legitimate rights of our people, and stresses the need to found the search for peace on the letter and the spirit of international law. By recognizing that the issue of sovereignty in Jerusalem - a question left open by international law - is listed on the agenda of negotiations over the permanent status of the occupied Palestinian territory, the agreement contradicts the |Israeli claims to perpetuate the illegal annexation of the Holy City, and at the same time consecrates the representativity and legitimacy of the PLO to speak on behalf of Jerusalem Palestinians.
This visit, therefore, had a double cultural and political dimension, at a crucial moment in the history of the Palestinian people and its long march towards peace and justice. It also had, undoubtedly, a spiritual dimension. The Holy Father has wanted to place it under the sign of Forgiveness, and we know well how difficult forgiveness is. How hard it is to recognize one's faults and apologize for them, how hard it is to forgive the offences inflicted upon us. This, however, is an essential message, the relevance of which should not be underestimated, and of which the peoples of our area, torn for generations by violence and wars, exodus and occupations, have a vital need. For the "Peace of the Brave" will not be able to strike roots in the hearts of the peoples of this area unless reconciliation occurs, and that requires great moral courage.
We offer our readers the complete collection of the Pope's speeches, addresses, blessings and greetings in the course of his visit, reproduced from the site of the Vatican.
Source:Vatican (www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/travels/index.htm)
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