Pope says Middle East peace possible
JERUSALEM — Pope Benedict XVI assured his followers in the Holy Land that peace is possible, as he ended his Mideast visit today by putting aside the contentious issues he has confronted and coming as a pilgrim to the site of Jesus' crucifixion.
Before boarding an airplane for Rome at Israel's international airport later in the day, the pope appeared to address some of the criticism leveled at him for a speech on the Holocaust that some Israelis felt was lukewarm. He also called Israel's West Bank separation barrier "one of the saddest sights" of his visit.
"No more bloodshed. No more fighting. No more terrorism. No more war," the pope said before departing.
Earlier on the fifth and final day of his visit, the pontiff walked into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, accompanied by a traditional escort of men in black robes and red fezzes rhythmically banging staffs on the ground to announce his approach.
Benedict knelt down and kissed the rectangular stone on which Jesus' body is believed to have been placed after the crucifixion. Then he entered the structure inside the church marking the site of Jesus' tomb and knelt inside alone for several minutes.
Afterward, he told those gathered in the church not to lose hope — a central theme during a visit in which he addressed the Holocaust, Israeli-Palestinian politics and the region's shrinking number of Christians.
"The Gospel reassures us that God can make all things new, that history need not be repeated, that memories can be healed, that the bitter fruits of recrimination and hostility can be overcome, and that a future of justice, peace, prosperity and cooperation can arise for every man and woman, for the whole human family, and in a special way for the people who dwell in this land so dear to the heart of the Savior," he said.
With those "words of encouragement," he said, "I conclude my pilgrimage to the holy places of our redemption and rebirth in Christ."
Benedict also met with the city's Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox patriarchs, part of the outreach toward Orthodox Christians that has been a keystone of his papacy.
The pope has reached out to both Jews and Muslims but some here are giving his five-day trip only mixed reviews. It was his first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories as pontiff.
He also met Israeli and Palestinian leaders. "It was a trip in which the pope listened very much. He was also listened to, I think," Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said.
