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Pope Announced His Desire to Make Holy Land Pilgrimage in 2000

(IsraelWire-7/1) Pope John Paul II announced on Tuesday from the Vatican his intention to visit the holy sites in Israel, Iraq, and Egypt. He stated that he wants to pray at the holy places, and that he plans to make a personal pilgrimage in the year 2000.

The pope did not actually mention Israel or Jerusalem, nor Iraq or Egypt when discussing holy sites, but they were mentioned in the original statement. The pope said that his pilgrimage would be private and apolitical. The reason for the lack of mention of specific countries may be due to the United States' opposition to Iraq being included in the pilgrimage.

Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, Boaz Moda'i, stated that the Vatican's people in Israel have been preparing for the year 2000 for a long time, and that, with the pope's announcement, plans will go into high gear.

One week ago, a conference was held in Israel of 1000 priests from 50 countries. The conference was headed by senior cardinals, and organized jointly with the Israel 2000 Administration and a Vatican-affiliated travel agency. Many of the participants head pilgrimage groups that will be returning in 2000.

There is no doubt that the pope's announcement will add energy and motivation for groups of pilgrims to visit Israel.