VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIV - # 96
DATE 24-05-2014

Summary:
- POPE FRANCIS' PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND BEGINS IN JORDAN
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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 POPE FRANCIS' PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND BEGINS IN JORDAN
 Vatican City, 24 May 2014 (VIS) - Today the Pope began his pilgrimage to
the Holy Land, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the encounter between
Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem. The aeroplane
carrying the Holy Father departed at 8.15 from Rome's Fiumicino airport and
landed at 1 p.m. local time, midday in Rome, in the "Queen Alia"
airport of Amman, Jordan.
 The Pope was welcomed upon arrival by the representative of King Abdullah
II, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, along with the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the
Latins, His Beatitude Fouad Twali and the Custodian of the Holy Land, Fr.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M. A child offered him a black orchid, the
flower that symbolises the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Following a brief
conversation with the representative of the monarch in the Royal Pavilion,
the Pope transferred by car to the Al-Husseini Royal Palace of Amman, where
King Abdullah II and Queen Rania awaited him.
 During Paul VI's visit to the Holy Land in 1964, King Hussein, father of
the current monarch, accompanied the Pope to the doors of Jerusalem.
Abdullah II welcomed St. John Paul to the Holy Land in 2000, and Pope
Benedict XVI in 2009; in return, he has been received twice by Pope
Francis, first in 2013 and again in April this year.
 Following a short private meeting with the king and his family, Francis
entered the palace hall where he was awaited by around three hundred
people, including the kingdom's highest authorities, representatives of the
diplomatic corps and the main leaders of other religions, and he gave his
first address in the Holy Land. He remarked first that Jordan is a land
"rich in history and with great religious significance for Judaism,
Christianity and Islam".
 He continued, "Jordan has offered a generous welcome to great numbers
of Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, as well as to other refugees from
troubled areas, particularly neighbouring Syria, ravaged by a conflict
which has lasted all too long. Such generosity merits the appreciation and
support of the international community. The Catholic Church, to the extent
of its abilities, has sought to provide assistance to refugees and those in
need, especially through Caritas Jordan. While acknowledging with deep
regret the continuing grave tensions in the Middle East, I thank the
authorities of the Kingdom for all that they are doing and I encourage them
to persevere in their efforts to seek lasting peace for the entire region.
This great goal urgently requires that a peaceful solution be found to the
crisis in Syria, as well as a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
 The Holy Father took the opportunity to reiterate his "profound
respect and esteem for the Muslim community and my appreciation for the
leadership of His Majesty the King in promoting a better understanding of
the virtues taught by Islam and a climate of serene coexistence between the
faithful of the different religions", adding, "You are known as a
man of peace and a peacemaker. I am grateful that Jordan has supported a
number of important initiatives aimed at advancing interreligious dialogue
and understanding between Jews, Christians and Muslims. I think in
particular of the Amman Message and the support given within the United
Nations Organisation to the annual celebration of World Interfaith Harmony
Week".
 He addressed an affectionate greeting to the Christian communities
"present in Jordan since apostolic times, contributing to the common
good of the society of which they are fully a part. Although Christians
today are numerically a minority, theirs is a significant and valued
presence in the fields of education and health care, thanks to their
schools and hospitals. They are able to profess their faith peaceably, in a
climate of respect for religious freedom. Religious freedom is in fact a
fundamental human right and I cannot fail to express my hope that it will
be upheld throughout the Middle East and the entire world. The right to
religious freedom 'includes on the individual and collective levels the
freedom to follow one's conscience in religious matters and, at the same
time, freedom of worship... the freedom to choose the religion which one
judges to be true and to manifest one's beliefs in public'. Christians
consider themselves, and indeed are, full citizens, and as such they seek,
together with their Muslim fellow citizens, to make their own particular
contribution to the society in which they live".
 He concluded his discourse by invoking "peace and prosperity upon the
Kingdom of Jordan and its people. I pray that my visit will help to advance
and strengthen good and cordial relations between Christians and
Muslims", and, citing the King's discourse, he prayed that God might
free all from fear of change. He thanked the King and Queen for their
courteous welcome and concluded, "May the Almighty and Merciful God
grant happiness and long life to Your Majesties, and may he bless Jordan
abundantly. Salaam!"

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 OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
 Vatican City, 24 May 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has- appointed Msgr.
Franco Maria Giuseppe Agnesi, Fr. Paolo Martinelli, O.F.M. Cap., and Msgr.
Pierantonio Tremolada as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Milan (area
4,208, population 5,451,090, Catholics 4,970,975, priests 2,783, permanent
deacons 131, religious 7,318), Italy.
 - Msgr. Franco Maria Giuseppe Agnesi was born in Milan, Italy in 1950 and
was ordained a priest in 1974. He has served in a number of pastoral and
administrative roles, including vice-rector of the seminary of Saronno,
diocesan assistant for the youth sector of Catholic Action, general
diocesan assistant for Catholic Action and head of youth pastoral, head of
the Federation of Milanese Oratories, pro vicar general and moderator of
the Curia for the archdiocese of Milan, president of the Council of
Economic Affairs, and president of Caritas Ambrosiana, priest of the parish
of San Giovanni Battista in Cesano Boscone and dean of the deanery of
Cesano Boscone, provost of Busto Arsizio and dean of the deanery of Busto
Arsizio. He is currently episcopal vicar of Zone II (Varese) and member of
the Milan Episcopal Council. In 1995 he was named Prelate of Honour of His
Holiness.
 - Fr. Paolo Martinelli, O.F.M. Cap., was born in Milan, Italy in 1958 and
was ordained a priest in 1985. He holds a doctorate in theology from the
Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and has served in a number of
academic and administrative roles, including: extraordinary professor and
subsequently president of the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality at the
"Antonianum" Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome" University,
consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and consultor
for the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.
 - Msgr.Pierantonio Tremolada was born in Lissone, Italy in 1956 and was
ordained a priest in 1981. He holds a degree in sacred scriptures from the
Pontifical Biblical Institute, and has served in the following academic and
pastoral roles: lecturer in theology and the archiepiscopal seminary of
Venegono Inferiore, rector responsible for the formation of permanent
deacons, and collaborator for the continuing formation of the clergy (young
clergy). He is currently episcopal vicar for evangelisation and the
sacraments. He was named Prelate of Honour of His Holiness in 2012.

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