VATICAN - Benedict XVI at the General Audience, on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land: “Despite the vicissitudes that through the centuries have marked the holy sites, despite the wars, the destruction and unfortunately, the conflicts among Christians, the Church has continued her mission, moved by the Spirit of the Risen Lord.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “I pause today to speak about the apostolic journey that I made May 8-15 to the Holy Land, for which I do not cease to give thanks to the Lord, because it has shown itself to be a great gift for the Successor of Peter and for the whole Church.” These were the words of the Holy Father Benedict XVI in beginning his address during the General Audience held on May 20 in Saint Peter's Square. After thanking the religious and civil authorities, along with all those who collaborated in making his visit a success, the Pope highlighted that “it was, above all, a pilgrimage, even more, a pilgrimage par excellence to the fount of the faith. At the same time, it was a pastoral visit to the Church that lives in the Holy Land: a community of singular importance, since it represents a living presence there, where [the Church] finds its origin.”
The first part of the pilgrimage, from May 8-11, was in Jordan, where the Pope visited Mount Nebo, where Moses contemplated the Promised Land and died without being able to enter it, and later “Bethany beyond the Jordan,” where according to the Fourth Gospel, Saint John the Baptist baptized from the beginning. Benedict XVI recalled the blessing of the first stone of two churches to be build on the site where Saint John baptized: “This fact is a sign of the openness and the respect of the Hashemite Kingdom for religious liberty and the Christian tradition, and this merits great appreciation... How important it is that Christians and Muslims coexist peacefully with mutual respect! Thanks be to God and the commitment of the government, this happens in Jordan. I have prayed a lot so that it could be this way as well in other places, thinking above all of the Christians who live a difficult situation in Iraq.”
The Pope then highlighted how the Christian community has “a significant and valued presence in society because of their educational and social works, attentive to the person, regardless of their ethnic or religious belonging.” He thus recalled Regina Pacis Rehabilitation Center in Amman, the blessing of the cornerstone of the University of Madaba, of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, “because it manifests in a tangible way that the Church promotes the search for truth and the common good and offers a high-quality, open space to those who want to dedicate themselves to this search, the indispensable premise for a true and fruitful dialogue between civilizations.”
On the afternoon of May 11, the second part of the pilgrimage: “I arrived in Israel, where from the beginning I presented myself as a pilgrim of faith, in the Land in which Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again, and at the same time, as a pilgrim of peace to implore from God that in the place where he became man, all men would live as his children, that is, as brothers.” This second aspect was especially noted in his meetings with the civil authorities, and in speaking with representatives of the religious communities, the Pope mentioned that “faith in the one God, just and merciful... should pour forth its treasure of respect, reconciliation and collaboration.” Jerusalem, crossroads for the three great monotheistic religions, in its name “city of peace,” “expresses the design of God for humanity: to make of it a great family...All believers therefore, should leave behind prejudices and a will to dominate and practice in harmony the fundamental commandment: to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It is to this that Jews, Christians and Muslims are called to give witness, to honor with deeds the God to whom they pray with their lips.” Benedict XVI, recalling his visit to the Yad Vashem Memorial, erected in Jerusalem in honor of the victims of the Shoah, mentioned: “The tremendous tragedy of the Shoah must never be forgotten! It is necessary for it to always be in our memory as a universal admonition to the sacred respect for human life that always has an infinite value.”
The Pope then recalled the encounters with the Catholics of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth. “In the Valley of Josaphat, in Jerusalem, we meditated on the resurrection of Christ as a force of hope and peace for this city and for the entire world. In Bethlehem, in the Palestinian Territories, Mass was celebrated before the Basilica of the Nativity, with the participation of faithful from Gaza, who I had the joy of personally consoling, assuring them of my particular closeness. Bethlehem, the place where the heavenly hymn of peace for man resounded, is the symbol of the distance that continues separating us from the fulfillment of that proclamation: insecurity, isolation, uncertainty, poverty. All of that has led so many Christians to leave there. But the Church carries on, sustained by the force of the faith and giving witness to her love with concrete works at the service of the brothers, such as the Caritas Baby Hospital of Bethlehem, supported by dioceses of Germany and Switzerland, and the humanitarian activity in the refugee camps. In the one I visited, I was able to assure the families that dwell there of the closeness and encouragement of the universal Church, inviting all to seek peace with nonviolent means, following the example of St. Francis of Assisi. The third and final Mass with the people, I celebrated last Thursday in Nazareth, the city of the Holy Family. We prayed for all families so that they rediscover the beauty of matrimony and family life, the value of domestic spirituality and education, and attention to children, who have the right to grow in peace and serenity.”
At the close of his address, the Holy Father said: “It is a pleasure to go over the whole itinerary that I was able to fulfill precisely with the sign of the resurrection of Christ: Despite the vicissitudes that through the centuries have marked the holy sites, despite the wars, the destruction and unfortunately, the conflicts among Christians, the Church has continued her mission, moved by the Spirit of the Risen Lord. She is on the path toward full unity so that the world believes in the love of God and experiences the joy of his peace. On my knees, on Calvary and at the Holy Sepulcher, I invoked the strength of love that arises from the Paschal mystery, the only force capable of renewing man and orienting history and the cosmos toward its end.”
After greeting the pilgrims in various languages, the Pope launched this brief appeal for the World Communications Day: “This coming Sunday, the Church celebrates World Communications Day. In my message this year, I am inviting all those who make use of the new technologies of communication, especially the young, to utilize them in a positive way and to realize the great potential of these means to build up bonds of friendship and solidarity that can contribute to a better world. The new technologies have brought about fundamental shifts in the ways in which news and information are disseminated and in how people communicate and relate to each other. I wish to encourage all those who access cyberspace to be careful to maintain and promote a culture of respect, dialogue and authentic friendship where the values of truth, harmony and understanding can flourish.
Young people in particular, I appeal to you: bear witness to your faith through the digital world! Employ these new technologies to make the Gospel known, so that the Good News of God’s infinite love for all people, will resound in new ways across our increasingly technological world!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 22/5/2009)