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Monday 27 April 2009

14:44 - POPE TO THE HOLY LAND: ISRAEL, TWO SETS OF STAMPS IN MEMORY OF HIS VOYAGE

The Embassy of Israel to the Holy See announced today that two sets of commemorative stamps will be issued in memory of Benedict XVI's next voyage to Israel and to the Holy Land (8-15 Mai). "The Israeli philatelic service said it would be issuing a special set of twelve stamps to celebrate the event. The first set will depict the biblical holy places which are relevant for Israel (on sale from 4 Mai) while the second will include some photographs taken during the papal visit." "Benedict XVI brought new hope, understanding, reconciliation and peace to the Holy Land amongst its people and religions. His visit will encourage pilgrimages and tourism to Israel," reads the information brochure. The holy places of the first set will include, among others, the Church of Dormition, Lake Tiberias, the Church of the primacy of Peter, the Church of the Beatitudes, the Transfiguration (Tabor), the Saint Sepulchre, the Annunciation, the Gethsemane and the Cenacle. The philatelic sets could be bought on line from 4 Mai on the Israeli Post office website at www.israelpost.co.il/pope.

Monday 27 April 2009

08:59 - POPE TO THE HOLY LAND: CUSTODY, MASS IN JERUSALEM WILL BE "AN EXCEPTIONAL EVENT"

"The stage will be a temporary construction and will receive about one hundred priests who will jointly celebrate Mass with Benedict XVI. From the altar, the Pope will be slightly looking to Jerusalem and will be able to gaze at the walls of the Holy City. I think it will be really an exceptional event". With these words, father Dobromir Jasztal, treasurer of the Custody of the Holy Land, speaks of the works going on in the Cedron Valley, in Jerusalem, where Benedict XVI will celebrate Mass in front of a crowd that has been estimated at 5000 people. "Currently – explains on the website the Franciscan friar in charge of overseeing the works –, we are working well at the ground. There will be no seats. We must protect the graves and be careful that the pilgrims will not sit or climb on them to get a better view. As we expect several thousands of pilgrims, we will also have to provide a larger entranceway than the current one. All this is being made in close cooperation with the security services. Big crowds of Christians are rare here, in Jerusalem, and this is one of the few occasions the Pope will be able to meet the local Christian community". "We want to preserve the natural environment of this land – he concludes –. The largest building site is the one for the altar: some olive trees will have to be moved and replanted later. They are hundreds of years old and they will take it on the chin".