SOME 40,000 people turned out yesterday in Nazareth as Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his biggest outdoor Mass of his Holy Land tour.
On the penultimate day of his pilgrimage, the pontiff urged the crowd at Mount Precipice, the biblical site where an angry mob tried to throw Jesus off the cliff, to work for coexistence in Galilee.
Noting tensions in Nazareth between Christian and Muslim residents, Benedict urged “people of goodwill in both communities to repair the damage that has been done, to work to build bridges and find the way to a peaceful coexistence”.
He called on residents to “reject the destructive power of hatred and prejudice, which kills men’s souls before it kills their bodies”. Nazareth is the biggest Arab-Israeli city. Christians, once a majority there, now make up only a third of the population.
The pilgrims were in a festive atmosphere as the pope celebrated Mass in Latin, English and Arabic. The crowd waved flags from many countries but the overwhelming majority of the worshippers at the huge outdoor amphitheatre were local Israeli-Arab Christians.
The pontiff smiled as the crowd roared “Viva al Papa” and chanted “Be-ne-dic-tus”. His homily was less political in nature than his sermons of previous days. Instead, the pope stressed the importance of family values.
Benedict spoke of “the sacredness of the family, which in God’s plan is based on the lifelong fidelity of a man and a woman consecrated by the marriage covenant and accepting of God’s gift of new life”. One of the main themes of the papal visit was to encourage the dwindling Christian communities throughout the region.
The archbishop of Galilee for the Greek Melkite Church, Elias Chacour, welcomed the pope yesterday with a plea for his prayers and “moral and spiritual support” to stem the exodus of Christians from the Holy Land.
Medical crews treated some 30 people during the Mass for dehydration, faintness and shortness of breath.
Following the Mass, the pontiff met Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the Franciscan convent adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation, the site where the angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. The meeting came a day after the pope called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian homeland, a policy opposed by Mr Netanyahu.
Mr Netanyahu asked the pontiff to “raise his moral voice” and condemn statements from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad calling for Israel’s destruction. “I think we found in him an attentive ear,” Mr Netanyahu said.
The pope said he has spearheaded the struggle against anti-Semitism around the world and believed “extremism must be battled and that moderate elements in the region must be supported”.
The two men discussed Middle East peace efforts before being joined by advisers for talks on bilateral relations and the status of church property in the Holy Land. Mr Netanyahu promised to increase the number of visas granted to priests living in Arab states who want to visit Israel.
The prime minister told Israel Television that the pope surprised him when he revealed that he had read a book written by his father, Benzion Netanyahu, a former professor of Jewish history.
Today, before flying back to Rome, the pope will meet with the Greek and Armenian Orthodox patriarchs and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City, built on the site where Jesus was crucified.
Summing up the Holy Land pilgrimage,Vatican spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi said the pope was “very happy” with the outcome of the trip and that “all the important meetings were very positive”.
He said the main goal was “peace, peace, peace”, adding that he felt the pope had listened to all sides, acting like a “bridge” between the various positions.