Jerusalem Welcomes Pope Benedict XVI

Strengthening the Christian Community

A visit from Pope Benedict XVI to Israel is of paramount importance to Israel’s Christian community. One of the dilemmas facing Christianity today centers upon the Holy Land: It is the homeland of Christianity, yet the number of Christians living in Israel and Palestine dwindles from year to year. Instead of a living community, the Christian presence in the Holy Land is in danger of shrinking into a collection of sites and museums, tributes to the past with no inherent vibrancy.

A papal visit at this critical juncture has strengthened the remaining Christian communities in Israel and Palestine—both in their negotiations with Israel, and in their own self-concept as a community, and as living testimony to Jesus' mission. This visit has the additional importance of being the first time that a pope has officially recognized the Hebrew-speaking Catholic communities in Israel, which are small in number but significant in their unique character and heritage.

A Track Record of Compassion

Pope Benedict XVI is internationally recognized as one of the popes most active in strengthening Catholic relations with the Jewish people. He was the first pope to invite Jewish leaders to the funeral of John Paul II, and to his own ascension as Pope in 2005. Additionally, Benedict XVI has been strident in his condemnation of anti-semitism and a strong proponent of Holocaust education.

While in Jerusalem, Benedict XVI paid tribute to the victims of the Holocaust by laying a memorial wreath in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. This act gave symbolic impact to the pope’s many gestures of outreach and support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. His words of compassion and commitment are particularly welcome now, at a time of rising anti-semitism and Holocaust denial.

With this historic visit, Pope Benedict XVI has continued in the pioneering footsteps of his predecessor John Paul II, whose efforts to strengthen relations between Israel and the Holy See marked a new chapter in international diplomacy. The State of Israel welcomes Benedict XVI’s ongoing dialogue of reconciliation between the Vatican and the State of Israel, and hopes that his blessing will contribute to lasting peace.