{UAH} Pope Francis to visit the Holy Land in May

The news is reportedly exciting the entire Middle East and many parts of the world!

The Pope has announced his intention to visit Amman Jerusalem and Bethlehem

next May 24 to 26, 2014 with the sole aim of commemorating the historic meeting

fifty years ago between Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras.

This time the Pope will again pray with the new Patriarch together with all Christian religious

leaders present in the Holy Land. And the venue for this ecumenical service will be at Christ's Sepulchre

in Jerusalem.

The Pope made the announcement after reciting the Angelus midday prayer in St Peter's Square

before an assembled 200,000 persons who braved a chilling Roman wintry cold.

He will be in Bethlehem ( Palestinian territory ) following the invitation from the Palestinian authorities.

The invitation, like that for Israel, was handed to the Pope by the President himself. The Pope's announcement

moved to full excitement both Israelis and Arabs. And the Palestinian leader has just announced an appeal

to the Christian world to flock Palestine in order to join the Palestinians in the heroic welcome they intend

to reserve to the Pope who made a great name in the Arab world when he assembled hundreds of thousands

in St Peter's Square to pray for a peaceful solution in war-torn Syria which at that time was going to face the UN

sanctioned air strikes to weaken the regime, etc.. The Pope is fully conviced that the force of prayer saved Syria

from a certain catastrophe. The great mass the Pope will celebrate in Bethlehem is already said to be something

that will give a very special boost to the new Palestinian state on world scene. In Amman he will, among other things, visit some refugee camps sheltering thousands of Syrians.

The news is also creating a lot of commotion everywhere on the globe. French TV and other leading world news

medias have promised their presence on the Pope's pilgrimage which is expected to be followed by some two to

three billion viewers and listeners.

The people's Pope is indeed a conquering hero of modern times. His message to help the poor has won him special gratitude from all over the world, and invitations are pouring in requesting him to visit various countries.

Nobody is able to count the Xmas and New Year's messages that continue to pour in his office from every corner of the world! They come in dozens and dozens of postal bags. From Rome alone pope Francis has received

messages even from children and the sick and the disabled! Each of his bi-weekly audiences continues to draw an average 150,000 faithful and in one of them the assembly was moved when they learnt the presence of a big delegation from Guam, a place many of them were virtually hearing of for the first time in their life! 

So far, in the few months he has been Pope, he has seen a total 6,623,000 pilgrims and others flock St Peter's Square for his audiences, etc..! And this is a record in Rome. Rain and the cold didn't at all prevent  some 150,000 pilgrims from turning out for the Wednesday November 27, 2013 general audience where Congo Kinshasa's very energetic intellectual Archbishop Laurent Pasinya Monsengwo was one of the greatest figures present. Cardinal Monsengwo is one of the eight cardinals the Pope chose to advise him on the impending changes he wants to carry out in the Church, starting with the Papacy itself. The Pope is said to harbour the intention of summoning to Rome next month all cardinals in order to brief them on the expected measures....!

It is even rumoured that he will ask religious houses to start offering accommodation to the poor and to the

homeless.

So far his stiff and intelligent policies on finances have proved very fruitful! And the Vatican enjoys a very commendable surplus in its finances. He is reputed excellent in managing finances.

The people's Pope has already impressed in every field and, as one churchman once put it, Pope Francis will indeed change the whole world thanks to his very global intellectual outlook and fearless approach to issues.

And he wants to put on board every faithful even those who no longer feel concerned about religion.

The people's Pope is indeed the Pope set to inspire hope for everyone!

Dr G.H. Kkolokolo ( Paris / France )