Pope Benedict XVI will visit Israel from 11-15 May 2009 and will make a stop in the Jordanian capital of Amman before arriving there, according to the Italian newspaper 'Il Foglio' citing Vatican sources. Both the Vatican and Israeli government officials confirmed three weeks ago that pontiff of the Catholic Church was considering a visit to the Holy Land next year. According to Il Foglio, Benedict also intends to meet with Palestinian Authority officials during his visit. The newspaper wrote that he would celebrate three important masses, one in Jerusalem, one in Nazareth and one in Bethlehem.
Il Foglio also said that Benedict had no intention of meeting with representatives from Hamas but would pay a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem and hold talks with Israeli president Shimon Peres. The Holy See has not commented on the report but the itinerary indicated by the daily was the same as the one followed by Benedict's predecessor John Paul II in 2000. Pope Benedict will reportedly arrive in Amman on 08 May and stay in Jordan for three days, after which he will fly to Israel aboard a Royal Jordanian Airline plane. The Pope will use Israel's national airline El Al when returning to Italy on 15 May.
Last week Peres, who personally invited Benedict in September 2007, met with a Vatican delegation assigned with the task of organizing the papal visit. Benedict's trip to the Holy Land is expected to be officially announced before Christmas.
