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Archbishop warns Dead Sea against 'playing' Scrolls still with occult ideas fascinate
20th anniversary of Archbishop Romero's assassination
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In the steps of Moses By John Mavis MADABA, Jordan (CNS) - Standing on the mountain where Moses glimpsed the Promised Land, Pope John Paul II prayed that peace and justice would come to the modern peoples of the troubled region. His face lit by the afternoon sun on the heights of Jordan's Mount Nebo, the Pope looked out upon a dramatic biblical landscape stretching from the Dead Sea to Galilee. "Our gaze directed to Jerusalem, let us lift up our prayer to Almighty God for all the peoples living in the lands of the promise: Jews, Muslims and Christians," the Pope said. "They share the same place of blessing. where the history of salvation has left an Indelible trace.... Bestow upon all who live here the gift of a true peace, justice and fraternity." he said. The ruins of a sixth-century church that commemorates the place of Moses' death provided a setting for the Pope's stop. about 40 kilometres south-west of Amman and several kilometres from the hill city of Madaba. where thousands of residents cheered as his motorcade passed. It was the first day of a weeklong visit to holy places in Jordan. Israel and the Palestinian territories. The Pope began his jubilee pilgrimage in prayer at the Vatican on 23 February, since he was unable to visit Iraq, then continued his journey in Egypt, where he visited Mount Sinai and evoked the start of Moses' mission. On Mount Nebo. the Pope read the biblical account of how Moses led his people for 40 years through the desert before reaching the mountain, where he died before he could enter into the Promised Land.
Pope John Paul II takes in the view from Mount Nebo last Monday.
The Pope paused before a mosaic cross that marks a possible ancient burial place of the prophet. A choir of schoolchildren, led by Franciscan nuns and accompanied by a Yamaha electric piano, sang hymns in Arabic and Latin, then chanted "John Paul II, God bless you!" in English. The Pope slowly manoeuvred the various levels of the church, viewing mosaics excavated by Franciscans, including an early scene that depicted Christian symbols of prayer. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Pope found Moses a fascinating figure who was relevant to Christians of every era.
Photo: CNS/Arturo Man
"On Mount Nebo, the Pope wants to see the Holy Land with the eyes of Moss. But unlike Moses, the Pope intends to reach it," the spokesman said. Before stepping out onto a mountainside platform to take in the panorama facing Jerusalem, the Pope said he wanted to turn the focus of his pilgrimage toward Christ. "To HimI dedicate every step of this journey I am making to this land, which was His land," he said. The Pope travelled by car to the biblical mountain plateau shortly after arriving at Amman's Queen Alia Airport. where he appealed for regional peace and interreligious cooperation. After kissing a bowl of earth, he was
warmly welcomed by Jordan's 38-year-old King Abdullah. who called the 79-year-old pontiff "a symbol of all that is pure and noble in this life." The Pope, seated at a wooden table inside a temporary pavilion on the tarmac, encouraged the king's efforts to promote tolerance and reconciliation in the Middle East. "Your majesty, I know how deeply concerned you are for peace in your own land and in the entire region and how important ills for you that all Jordanians - Muslims and Christians - should consider themselves as one people and one family," the Pope said. Continued on Page 13
Archbishop blesses pilgrims en route to the Holy Land joining an estimated 50,000 other Neo-Catechumenal Way pilA large group of 70 pilgrims grims from around the world. Archbishop Hickey told the associated with the Neo-Catechumenal Way movement left Perth pilgrims he was envious of Perth last Saturday to visit the their trip to Israel and Rome. Holy Land and then Rome. "It is a unique opportunity for They are going to meet up with you to recall St Peter and the Pope John Paul II in the Holy Peter of our age [Pope John Paul Land, who is also visiting Israel III," he said, a trip that was a mix of the old and the new. on a Jubilee-year pilgrimage. The Archbishop presented Archbishop Barry Hickey farewelled the pilgrims with Redemptoris Mater seminarian, prayers on Friday night in a spe- Deacon James D'Souza, with a cial ceremony at St Mary's Cathe- candle to be presented to the dral. Basilica of the Annunciation in The pilgrims include seminari- Nazareth. ans from the movement's Year Eleven Mercy College stuRedemptoris Mater seminary in dent Emmanuela Sala was given Morley and lay people, mostly a candle to be presented to the youth, associated with the Neo- Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Catechumenal Way. Sites in Israel in appreciation of The Perth group is the largest in the work the F'ranciscans carry an Australian contingent of 205 out maintaining Christendom's By Peter Rosengren
Archbishop Hickey biesses the Neo Catechumens! Way piigtims last Pititay.
holiest sites. The Archbishop said the Church had to redouble its efforts to preach the Good News. "Remember. . . . you are part of a long, long, tradition of God's
love for the world and for the human race," he said. While in Israel and Rome they would feel the Old Testament come alive, the time of Jesus
come alive and see in Pope John Paul II the long tradition of the Kingdom of Jesus, he said. People today needed more and more to know of this kingdom, he said. The Archbishop prayed over each of the pilgrims during Friday night's ceremony. The highlight of the pilgrimage is set to be the 24 March celebration of the Eucharist with Pope John Paul II near the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached his famous Sermon on the Mount The Pope is also due to open and bless the newly-completed international study and retreat house known as Domus Galilaeae built by the Neo-Catechumenal way for students, pilgrims and others visiting the Holy Land.