VATICAN (CWNews.com) - During a March 10 press conference in Rome, the Israeli official responsible for coordinating plans for the visit by Pope John Paul II discussed issues such as security, the possibility of a visit to Jericho, and the efforts to prevent politicization of the papal trip.
Haim Ramon, who was in Rome to help with the final details of planning for the Pope's trip-- which will stretch from March 20- 26-- assured reporters that the Israeli government would take every precaution to assure the Pontiff's safety while he is on Israeli soil. There will be approximately 5,000 police officers on duty in Jerusalem during the Pope's stay, and another 5,000 assigned to Galilee for his visits there. There are extra precautions for security in Nazareth, where the Pope will celebrate the feast of the Annunciation on March 25, and where tensions between Christians and Muslims have caused special concerns.
"These visits are very complicated to organize," Ramon said, "because the Pope is going to visit sites where there frequently are tensions, and because many people want to come to be with him. We are doing everything we can so that the security precautions will not interfere with things, but if something did happen, we would never forgive ourselves if we hadn't taken adequate precautions.
The preparation for the papal visit has involved a good deal of cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security officials, Ramon revealed. That cooperation will be especially important when the Pontiff makes his trip to Bethlehem, which is in Palestinian territory, and during his visit to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, whose office is located on the section of the Temple Mount that is under effective Muslim control.
The same sort of cooperation would be involved if the Pope makes a trip to Jericho-- a question which has not yet been resolved. Ramon pointed out that although Jericho is located in Palestinian territory, the ancient town remains under Israeli control under the terms of the latest Israeli- Palestinian agreement.
There are unavoidable political implications of the trip, the Israeli official noted. And although both the Holy See and the Israeli government are committed to making this a spiritual pilgrimage rather than a political event, Ramon noted: "It is not easy to make that distinction." In the end, he said, the most important thing will be to remember: "The goal is for this trip is to improve relations between us and the Palestinians-- not the contrary."
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update