During his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis announced that he will make his first papal visit to the Holy Land in May.
“In the climate of joy typical of this Christmas season, I would like to announce that May 24-26, if it pleases God, I will make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land,” the Pope told the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
The Holy Father went on to explain the purpose of the Papal visit, which will be to commemorate the meeting between Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI 50 years ago. The Pope will make three stops: Amman, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
At the [Church of the]Holy Sepulchre, we will celebrate an ecumenical meeting with all of the representatives of the Christian Churches of Jerusalem, together with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople,” the Holy Father said.
Concluding his remarks on the upcoming trip, Pope Francis asked the faithful for prayers for his pilgrimage, which he said will be “a pilgrimage of prayer.”
