Pavemesse for Jordans katolikker

AMMAN, Jordan (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass in Amman, Jordan, on March 21, in a downtown athletic stadium.

During the celebration-- which honored St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of Jordan-- the Pope presided at the First Communion of 2,000 children. In total, about 35,000 people attended the Mass.

When the Pope first arrived in the stadium, riding in his Popemobile, there was an enthusiastic welcome, and as he rode in a circuit around the facility, dozens of young people ran after the car-- with security officials allowing unusual freedom to the crowd.

As the liturgical celebration began, the Pontiff blessed water taken from the Jordan River, and sprinkled the crowd with it, in a recollection of the baptisms performed by St. John in the Jordan as he prepared the people for the coming of Christ.

In his homily, delivered in English, the Holy Father spoke of the Biblical importance of the land now known as Jordan. He pointed out that the city of Amman, identified in the Old Testament as Rabba, was the spot where King David lived when he took Bathsheba as his wife, and caused the death of her husband Ur the Hittite. Then the Pontiff went on to point out that God had mercy on King David despite his sin, and continued to recall how many prophets had testified to the faithlessness of God's people-- up to and including St. John the Baptist, «the voice crying out in the wilderness.» The Pope closed this line of thought with the observation that Jesus himself preached in Jordan.

Next the Pope spoke of the conclusions reached by the synod of bishops for the Holy Land, and reminded the Catholics of that region that «your future lies in unity and solidarity.» While recognizing the roles of the Catholic patriarchs who were present for the ceremony-- each heading a major Catholic body in the region-- John Paul stresses that the local Catholic groups should work closely together, accentuating «the lines of friendship and collaboration among the Catholic communities in all their rich variety.»

At the conclusion of the Mass-- marked by the performance of the Alleluia Chorus from Handel's Messiah, with the singers accompanied by a large orchestra-- the Pope headed for the offices of the Latin-rite vicariate in Amman. There he met with the patriarchs and bishops of the Catholic Church in the Holy See. Most of those prelates would accompany him as he continued his trip to Israel. But one, the Coptic Catholic Patriarch Stephanos II Ghattas, returned to his residence in Cairo immediately after the meeting, explaining that «it would be delicate for me to go to Israel.» The Coptic prelate observed that in any case, there are very few Catholic Copts in Israel.

Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update