OceanDrive
05-04-2005, 02:56
Sun Apr 3, 5:48 AM ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israelis and Palestinians united in paying homage to Pope John Paul II, remembering him as a tireless campaigner for peace in the Holy Land and champion of religious reconciliation.
Mourners crammed into special services held at churches across Israel and the Palestinian territories, including at Jesus Christ's traditional birthplace in Bethlehem and his hometown of Nazareth where flags were flown at half-mast.
Speaking at a service in Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, the Vatican's senior representative in the Holy Land, said that John Paul's desire for inter-faith reconciliation had been one of the major themes of his papacy.
"We in the Holy Land remember him as a pontiff who raised his voice repeatedly for justice and peace," said Sabbah who is himself Palestinian.
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israelis and Palestinians united in paying homage to Pope John Paul II, remembering him as a tireless campaigner for peace in the Holy Land and champion of religious reconciliation.
Mourners crammed into special services held at churches across Israel and the Palestinian territories, including at Jesus Christ's traditional birthplace in Bethlehem and his hometown of Nazareth where flags were flown at half-mast.
Speaking at a service in Nazareth's Basilica of the Annunciation, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, the Vatican's senior representative in the Holy Land, said that John Paul's desire for inter-faith reconciliation had been one of the major themes of his papacy.
"We in the Holy Land remember him as a pontiff who raised his voice repeatedly for justice and peace," said Sabbah who is himself Palestinian.