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HOLY LAND SUPPLEMENT
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9,1964
POPE SAYS:
Visit: ‘Humble
Pilgrimage To
Sacred Places’
(CON’T FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)
kish fashion the approach of a
person of importance.
The scene of the Pope's en
try was full of strange con
trasts. The front of the dila
pidated church is undergoing
extensive repairs, and steel
girders, corrugated tin sheds,
and piles of concrete, sand and
stone cluttered the area.
The inside as almost as im
probable a setting. The circu
lar church walls, lined with
steel and wooden scaf olding,
were crisscrossed by television
cables. Floodlights obscured
the golden lamps hanging in a
gallery overlooking the altar
which had been erected tempo
rarily in front of the Edicule,
the tiny chapel surrounding the
site of Christ's tomb. The en
tire chapel is housed in a stone
shrine situated directly under
the main dome of the basilica.
ON ENTERING the church,
Pope Paul knelt first at aflat
reddish rock set in the floor
near the door. Known as the
stone of Uncrion, it is held to
be the stone on which the Body
of Jesus was anointed prior
to being placed in the tomb.
Af er a brief prayer, the Pope
proceeded to the altar, where
he vested for Mass as the Te
Deum was sung in thanksgiving.
Flanking the entrance to the
chapel of the tomb were six
20-foot high oil candles, and
four 10-foot ones, all blazing
with four-inch flames.
The Pope offered a dialogue
Mass, and the few hundreds able
to fit inside the church made the
Latin responses resound from
wall to wall.
SHORTLY after the Conse
cration, a fuse blew and all the
television lights went out. A
small fire broke out on a wall
about 20 feet from the Pope,
where a cable was joined to
scaffolding. The fire caused
mild consternation among those
present--except for the Pope,
who continued celebra ing the
Holy Eucharist without ever in
dicating he was aware of the
commotion. Several efforts
were made to extinguish the fire
with hoses, but they were not
long enough. Eventually one of
the heralds’ star was handed up
to a man on the scaffolding, and
one Arab parted with his head
dress; the cloth on the end of
the staff being used to snuff
out the fire.
The cavernous basilica re
mained in candellighted gloom.
At he conclusion of the Mass,
the Pope sat upon a hrone chair
erected behind the altar, fac
ing the tomb chapel, and led the
people in special prayers in
French for Christian unity.
THEN POPE Paul left the
throne and entered the chapel
of the tomb. Strictly speaking,
this is composed of two tiny
chapels, he outer one comme
morating the angel who greeted
the Disciples on the first Eas
ter and told them that Christ
had risen, and the inner one the
site of the tomb itself. It is
reached by bending low to pass
through the little marble door.
For the Pope’s visit a cushion
and a rug were placed on the
floor before the gray marble
slab covering the sepulcher.
On the walls were a silver
bas relief of the Risen Christ
and a silver-covered ikon of
Christ Crucified. Four small
golden angels holding candles
stood on either side of the ikon.
Simple vases of roses and chry
santhemums filled the narrow
marble shelves above the tomb.
Behind the Pope, close to the
low ceiling, were two cameras
with cables attached to record
the scene as the successor of
St. Peter prayed alone at the
site of the Ressurection.
The Pope paused in prayer
before the altar close to be
black and white marble star
which marks the place believed
to be the spot on which the cross
stood. Then he walked to the ad
joining chapel which contains
the 11 h and 12th Stations, and
which is in the custody of the
Franciscans.
The Taking of Christ down
from the Cross is represented
by a polycrome statue of the
Sorrowful Mother, and the Nail
ing to the Cross by a mosaic.
Here a prie-dieu had been plac
ed on a valuable carpet, and
here the Pope again prayed.
The Pope left the basilica
to the cheers of hundreds of
special visitors gathered out
side o the chur h. He walked
up the short path leading to the
Custody of the Holy Land and
to his car. He was driven to the
Apostolic Delegation almost an
hour behind schedule.
ARRIVING at the Apostolic
Delegation, on the Mount of
Olivesjthe Pope was visited
by Greek Orthodox Patriarch
Yegheshe Derderian. Pope Paul
re urned their visits la er be
fore leaving for a special holy
hour at the Basilica of the Agony
in the Garden of Gethsemane,
where now stands a magnifi
cent chapel known as the Church
of All Nations. Before the ser
vice, the Pope received the
Oriental and LatinCatholic pa
triarchs, archbishops and bis
hops.
It was 10:30 p.m. as the Pope
set out for the Chapel of All
Na ions, his motorcade winding
a round-hills-of Jerusalem could
be seen for miles. At the start
of the drive the Pope passed
through rows of bystanders
holding lighted torches, a
breathtaking sight to the thou
sands waii ing at the basilicas as
the Pope allighted.
Again he was swept up and al
most carried along by the crowd
But the military did a superhu
man job of holding back the
crush. Inside the church, Pope
Paul led the holy hour, depart
ing at 11:30 p.m. to return to
the Apostolic Delegation,
Orthodox
Oppose
ATHENS (NC)—The Orthodox
Church of Greece remained
adamantly opposed to any re-
approchement between Ortho
dox and Roman Catholics, and
an allnight prayer vigil was held
here, Jan. 4-5, to “preserve
Orthodoxy from the conse
quences of the dangerous ap-
proch that Patriarch Athenago-
ras (of Constantinople) is mak
ing toward the Pope.”
The vigil was sponsored by
the Pan-Hellenic Orthodox Un
ion, a religious society, in ac
cord with the thinking of Arch
bishop Chrysostomos of Athens,
the Primate of Greece's State
Church.
It was understood here that
Archbishop Chrysostoms ear
lier forbade two archbishops
under his Jurisdiction to ac
company Patriarch Athena-
goras I of Constantinople on
his Journey to meet Pope Paul
VI in Jerusalem. Informed
sources here said that Patri
arch Athenagoras had asked
Archbishop Chrysostomos to let
Metropolitan Seraphim of loan-
nlna and Metropolitan Pantelei
mon of Salonika accomparty him,
but the Greek Primate refused.
ISRAEL STRUCK this gold medal to commemorate the pilgrim
age of Pope Paul VI. One side (top) bears an image of the Holy
Land and the Latin words, “Terra Sancta,” in the style of an
cient maps. The other side repeats in Hebrew, French and
English Christ's injunction: "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.'*
PAPAL TEXT
Damascus Gate
JERUSALEM, Jordan (NC)-— Following is the text of the speech
prepared by Pope Paul VI for delivery (Jan. 4) at the Damascus
gate on his entry into the Old City of Jerusalem:
Mr. Governor, Mr. Mayor, People of Jerusalem and all of you
who came from far and near to be with us at this moment; We
greet you, and we offer you an expression of our Joy and of the
happy feeling filling our heart as we enter this holy city.
TODAY SEES fulfilled for us the aim of the desires of so many
men during the period of patriarchs and prophets, and of so many
pilgrims who for 20 centuries have come here to visit Christ’s
tomb.
Today we can exclaim with the Holy Writer: “Andnow we have
set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem,” and say also in his
words and in all truth: "This is the day the Lord has made, let
us be glad and rejoice in it."
FROM THE DEPTHS of our heart we thank Almighty God for
having led us to this place and to this tour, and we Invite you all
to unite yourselves to this thanksgiving.
OUR thankfulness must be expressed first of all to the author
ities, for the ardent welcome we have received here. Then to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem we express our esteemfor their religious
spirit, for their noble traditons of courtesy and hospitality to
ward pilgrims visiting the holy places. We invite them to raise
up to heaven their hands and hearts with us, to Invoke upon their
holy city and abundance of divine blessings.
TO OUR CATHOLIC sons and daughters, and to all those who
glory in the name of Christians, we say: Enter with us into the
..spirit of this pilgrimage; come with us to follow in the foot
steps of Christ, to climb with Him to Mount Calvary, to venerate
His eternally glorious tomb, from which He rose filled with life
after vanguishing death and redeeming the world. Come with us
to offer Him His Church in the various places where He shed
His blood for her.
Let us all together implore the most desired grace of union
among all the disciplines of the Gospel. And to all we say: By
your wishes and your prayers, invoke with us upon this land,
unique in the world, which God has visited, His graces of concord
and of peace. Let us here, all together, implore the grace of
true profound brotherhood between all men and among all peoples,
JERUSALEMI As we enter within your walls it is again the
Inspired Writer who supplies his words to our lips: “May those
who love you prosperl May peace be within your walls, pros
perity in your buildings; I will say. . .peace be within you I ..
I will pray for your good."
This invocation, 3,000 years old, we gladly pronounce again
here and on this day. May God deign to hearken to it and shower
upon this holy city and all those who pray herein with us his most
copious benedictions.
PASSING from the chapel, the
Pope left the sanctuary of the
basilica to climb the steep white
marbie stairs abou 25 feet up to
the Chapel of the Crucifixion.
This chapel is in the custody
of the Greek Orthodox and is
hunt with silver vigil and altar
lights. Its images are Byzan
tine in s yle. The focal point
of the chapel is a painted Christ
Crucified- with a sliver loin
cloth, flanked by silver cover
ed images of Mary and John.
UH 1 COMMEMORATE PILGRIMAGE. The Franciscans, who have been charged
with the custody of the shrines in the Holy Land, have arranged for two medals to be
struck to mark the pilgrimage there of Pope Paul VI. Both medals will have the portrait
i Cen , t * r ’ on one side - ° n the reverse side, one medal will show the Basilica
of the Holy Sepulcher, in Jerusalem, left, and the other the Church of the Annunciation
in Nazareth.
ON m. OF OLIVES
Pope, Patriarch
Meet, Embracing
In Kiss Of Peace
JERUSALEM, Jordan (NC)—
The wdrld leaders of the Cath
olic and Orthodox Churches
came together in brotherhood
twice in this birthplace of
Christianity, exchanging the
symbolic kiss of peace, and af
ter walking arm in arm resol
ved to try t o pave the road to
unity.
Pope Paul VI, the Patriarch
of the West, and Ecumenical
Patriarch Athenagoras I of Con
stantinople exchanged separate
visits on Jan. 5 and 6 on the
Mount of Olives. It was the
first time a Pope and a Pa
triarch of Constantinople had
been together since the death
of Patriarch Joseph at the 15th
century Council of Florence.
And it was only the second such
encounter in over 1,250 years.
THE MEETINGS near the site
where Christ suffered His
Agony in the Garden and 43 days
later ascended into heaven had
great significance in Christen
dom's search for unity. Both
men clearly felt the dramatic
importance of the moment.
Patriarch Athenagoras, ac
companied by several members
of his retinue, arrived at the
Apostolic Delegation headquar
ters on the Mount of Olives at
9:30 p.m. Sunday. Standing in the
doorway to greet him was a
somewhat tired Pope Paul who
had just completed a 14-hour
whirlwind tour of the holy places
in Israel. Yet as he greeted the
77-year-old Patriarch, the
Pope seemed to have sloughed
his fatigue: h e showed great
animation and emotion.
The Pope and the Patriarch
immediately embraced at the
entrance to the delegation and
twice exchanged the ritual kiss
of peace. Observers present
said both churchmen showed
they were conscious of the his
toric import of the moment in
which the ages-old isolation of
the two great branches of the
Christian religion was being
dissolved, even if only on a
level of courtesy and affection.
The Pope’s first words were
in Latin: “May Jesus Christ be
praised I" The Patriarch re
sponded with a similar salu
tation in Greek. Then the 66-
year-old Bishop of Rome took
the arm of the towering, six-
foot-four Bishop of Constan
tinople in his, and they walk
ed arm in arm, with hands
clasped, to a small audience
room. They remain alone for
20 minutes.
After concluding their pri
vate discussion, the two asked
their chief attendants to come
into the audience room. The
three cardinals who had ac
companied Pope Paul from
Rome—Eugene Cardinal Tis-
serant, dean of the College of
Cardinals; Amleto Cardinal Ci-
cognani, the Pope's Secretary
of State; and Gustavo Cardinal
Testa, Secretary of the Sacred
Congregation for the Oriental
Church—and Archbishop Ange
lo Dell'Acqua, Undersecretary
of State for Ordinary Affairs,
and Archbishop Enrico Dante,
Papal Master of Ceremonies,
entered the room. They joined
dignitaries of the entourage of
Patriarch Athenagoras, which
included four theology profes
sors.
THE PATRIARCH, who be
came a United Sfates citizen
while serving in America prior
to his election to the Constan
tinople See, then read a five-
minute formal speech of greet
ing to the Pope in Greek. It
was immediately translated in
to French. Patriarch Athenago
ras expressed joy at meeting
Pope Paul in the land sancti
fied by the life of the Lord
“where Christ shortly before
His Passion prayed in the sweat
of agony for the confirmation
in truth and in unity of all
those who believe in Him."
After saying that he regard
ed the event of exceptional im
portance and significance in the
life and in the history of the
Church, Patriarch Athenagoras
voiced the hope that the good
intentions recently shown on
both sides "shall become the
prelude of a mutual commun
ion, the dawn of a luminous
and blessed day, in which fu
ture generations, communing
in the same chalice of the most
precious Blood and of the Body
of the Lord, will glorify the
only Lord and Saviour in chari
ty, peace and unity."
In thanking the Patriarch for
his visit, the Pope informed him
that he would return it the fol
lowing day in circumstances
matching the loving expressions
voiced inthePatr iarch ’s
speech. After the exchange of
greetings, the two leading
churchmen recited the Lord’s
Prayer, first in Latin, then in
Greek.
TO COMMEMORATE the
meeting, Pope Paul presented
the Patriarch a gold comme
morative medal. He also gave
copies, of- the commemorative
medaj to each member of the
Patriarch’s party.
At the close of this first meet
ing, the two spiritual leaders
again embraced. Observers
said the emotion they felt com
municated itself to everyone
in the room. The Pope accom
panied the Patriarch to the
doorstep, and watched until he
had descended the stairs lead
ing from the Apostolic Delega
tion and entered his car.
The next morning, following
his Epiphany Mass in Bethle
hem, Pope Paul returned the
Patriarch's visit, traveling to
the residence of Orthodox Pa
triarch Benediktos of Jerusa
lem, where Patriarch Athena
goras was staying— only seve
ral hundred yards away from
the delegation. The Pope had al
so visited Patriarch Benedik
tos there the previous Saturday
night.
HERE THE warmth of the en
counter 12 hours earlier was
repeated, with Patriarch Athe
nagoras receiving Pope Paul
at the front door.
The Pope and the Patriarch
talked privately. Then Pope
Paul presented two members
of the staff of the Vatican Sec
retariat for Promoting Chris
tian Unity whom the Patriarch
had met earlier—Msgr. Jan
G. M. Willebrands, the secre
tary, and Father Pierre Duprey,
W.F., undersecretary for Or
thodox relatons.
The Pope in a formal ad
dress in Latin expressed his
“great and profound” gratitude
for the Patriarch's coming to
Jerusalem to meet him in this
truly historic" meeting. He said
that the will “to work to sur
mount disunity, to break down
barriers," is becoming ever
more widespread among all
Christians. And in closing, he
said that "it is not a 'goodbye*
that we say to you, but, if you
allow us, an *au revoir* based
upon the hope of other fruitful
meetings 'in the Name of the
Lord.’ ’’
FOLLOWING the exchange of
formal greetings, the Pope left
the patriarchate on the arm of
the Patriarch, who accompanied
him out of the building, down
stairs and into the courtyard to
his waiting car.
A special communique was
issued stating:
“This meeting cannot be con
sidered otherwise than as a fra
ternal gesture inspired by the
charity of Christ, who left to
His disciples the supreme com
mandment of loving one another,
of forgiving offenses until
seventy times seven, and of
being united among themsel
ves.”
Following this second meet
ing with Patriarch Athenagoras,
the Pope drove to the residence
of Latin Rite Patriarch Alberto
Gori, O.F.M., of Jerusalem.
Pope Sees Mayor
JERUSALEM, Jordan (NC)—
Before returning to Vatican City
(Jan. 6) Pope Paul VI received
Jerusalem's Mayor Mordachi
Ish-Shalom, and members of
the Municipal Council as well as
Anglican Archbishop J. Mclnnes
and Coptic Patriarch Stephanos
I Sidarouss.
In a separate audience he re
ceived Msgr. Thomas Ryan and
Father Dennis Mooney, O.F.M.,
of the Pontifical Mission for
Palestine,
POPE PAUL VI offers a prayer as he visits the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem (Jan. 6) on the final day of his pilgrimage
to the Holy Land.
HUSSEIN DECLARES
Trip Won’t Help
Arab- Israel Hate
JERUSALEM, Jordan (NC)—
King Hussein of Jordan told a
press conference here that he
believed Pope Paul Vi's pil
grimage to the Holy Land would
not only help Christian unity but
also improve Christian-Mos-
lem relations.
But he said it would not help
to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.
THE 27-YEAR-OLD King,
who claims descent from Mo
hammed, spoke to several hun
dred and then answered ques
tions in English.
He said the papal visit (Jan.
4 to 6 ) was a ‘landmark in
world history as well as in that
of the Holy Land.”
THE KING SAID he hoped the
Pope’s visit to his country would
"herald a new era of genuine
understanding, cooperation and
a working in concert between
our two great religions" and
would "erase misunderstand
ing, which is of man’s making
and not divine."
"It is my earnest hope,’’ he
said, "that eminent spiritual
leaders of our two great faiths
will take concrete steps with a
view to achieving this blessed
historic objective.’’
HE CITED AS an example of
possible cooperation between
Islam and Christianity the work
of St. Thomas Aquinas in the
field of Arab philosophy. He
declared:
'There is little realization
that the great religions owe
each other a great deal: that
notwithstanding differences of
interpretation, Islam reveres
and believes in the divine na
ture of Jesus Christ, as emana
ting from the spirit of God, and
that our Holy Koran has no
where anything but reverence
and belief in the divine mess
age of Christ.”
KING HUSSEIN said that Pope
Paul’s pilgrimage would "high
light th e affinity between the
two great religions” and
strengthen the already “har
monious tolerance between the
peoples of the Mohammedan and
Christian faiths.”
The King said that Jordan,
an overwhelmingly Moselm na
tion, was proud to be the pro
tector of Christian holy places.
HE STRESSED that the Pope’s
visit to the Holy Land was to be
“purely religious and a pil
grimage, and we intend to make
every effort to facilitate it.” He
added: “I do not consider the
Pope’s pilgrimage has any po
litical implication."
Replying to a question, King
Hussein said he did not see how
the Pontiff’s visit could help
Arab-Israeli relations.
SPEAKING OF his country’s
relations with “occupied Pale
stine”— that is, Israel—the
King stated:
‘The problem...is a matter
of injustice. And until there is a
Just and honorable conclusion
to this problem I hardly see
how relations could be improv
ed.
“I FEEL IT is a duty to try
to find that just solution. But
until people of occupied ter
ritory are willing to remedy
the wrongs they committeed—
and not by use of force—I do
not see how progress toward
a solution can be made,”
‘The feeling in the Arab
world," the King stated, "is
that Israel as it stands has de
signs and plans to carry out
further aggression and to ex
pand at our expense."
KING HUSSEIN referred spe
cifically to the Israel plan to
divert water from the River
Jordan—which forms part of
the boundary between the two
countries—to irrigate the Ne
gev desert area. He said here-
fused to believe that “the Chris
tian world would countenance
and acquiesce in the diversion
and the almost complete obli
teration of the River Jordan,
with all its precious and his
toric religious associations."
The King was also asked if
he would accept papal media
tion of the Arab-Israeli con
flict. He answered: "I have
told you that there is nothing
pontifical in this pilgrimage.
So the question does not arise.
Any mediation between
Arabs and Israelis,” he stated,
“is useless before Palestinian
Arabs rights are restored,”
Medal Cast
VATICAN CTY (NC)—The
Vatican has coined a medal to
commemorate the pilgrimage of
Pope Paul VI to the Holy Land.
The first casting was presented
to the Pope,