Pope Planning His First Visit to Jerusalem for Millennium
JERUSALEM — Pope John Paul II will make a historic first visit to the Holy Land for millennium celebrations, Israel’s tourism minister said Monday.
Tourism Minister Moshe Katsav “received reports that the pope will arrive in March 2000 for a visit in the Palestinian Authority and Israel,” his spokeswoman Orly Doron said.
Israel TV said the pope will visit the region for three days.
However, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the trip “for now has not been set,” adding that neither the date nor the itinerary has been worked out.
Earlier Monday, Katsav held talks with Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, chairman of the Vatican’s committee for the millennium, to discuss Israel’s preparations for hosting millions of pilgrims in 2000.
Israel has been pushing for a papal visit to boost millennium celebrations. John Paul has expressed a keen desire to visit Jerusalem, but the pope’s presence there would be sensitive because the Vatican and Israel differ over the future of the city, which is special to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
About 3 million to 4 million pilgrims are expected to visit Rome for 2000 celebrations and then continue on to the Holy Land.
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