"Pope John Paul II has been the undisputed leader in fostering Jewish-Christian dialogue for over twenty-five years. He has labored intensely to change the hearts and minds of both sides and has never been afraid to acknowledge the sins committed by Christian people against Jews. His visit to the Middle East in March 2000, when he was able to visit the places where Jesus had lived and walked, was a moving and extraordinarily rich experience, both for him personally and for the Catholic Church. However, it also gave rise to a certain amount of rumor and misunderstanding among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim residents of the region. This book addresses these doubts and suspicions by documenting the pope's itinerary and recording the speeches that the pope gave at each stop along the journey. Replete with commentaries by Yehezkel Landau of Hartford Seminary and Michael McGarry of the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, along with maps and photos, this book is a historical record of a most historic pilgrimage."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book is a journey in prayer with Pope John Paul II, re-living his dramatic pilgrimage of March 20-26, 2000. For all that was said and written around the world about this trip?about the sensitive politics of the Middle East, about the places visited, about interreligious disputes?John Paul's pilgrimage was, in the end, about a man's prayer to God. This book approaches the events in that spirit. John Paul wanted the world to follow with him as he journeyed through the history of salvation, sensing God's hovering presence in a special time and place. Before starting, he predicted it would be an emotional experience, and it was: ?These have indeed been days of intense emotion, ? the pope said on the final day of his pilgrimage. ?A time when our soul has been stirred not only by the memory of what God has done but by his very presence.?

This book chronicles the historic May 2009 papal visit to the Holy Land by following the itinerary and providing a complete collection of Pope Benedict XVI's addresses, reflections, and speeches given at religious sites and various locations, including Yad Vashem and the Western Wall, and meetings with religious leaders and political officials. These are the pope's own words as a pilgrim on a journey of faith and as the leader of the Catholic Church. --