Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation wall on his way to a mass in Manger Square in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Photo: AP Photo/Ariel Schalit
By
Nick Squires, Bethlehem
6:00AM BST 25 May 2014
Bethlehem,(click here) the hilltop town where Christ was born, was preparing to welcome
Pope Francis on Sunday, amid fervent hopes that he would speak out about the
Israeli
occupation of the West Bank and the suffering of Palestinians.
The
Pope will say Mass and deliver a homily from a stage covered in red
carpet in Manger Square, the focus of the town, and flanked on one side by
the Church of the Nativity, which marks the place where Mary is thought to
have given birth to Jesus.
The Jesuit Pope will encounter a charged political atmosphere in the West Bank
town, with large posters draped on buildings around Manger Square
juxtaposing Biblical scenes of suffering with contemporary photographs of
Palestinian men at Israeli checkpoints and women amid the rubble of their
homes....
Why does this make more sense than any government mediation could achieve? I think he should exclusively carry out the peace process between Israel and Palestine. Seriously. No bribing with money or war machines or unrealistic images of saintly Israel and demonic Palestine. He is a completely removed third party. The man is a genius. There can be only one other entity of which he speaks to on a regular basis and it doesn't have a species designation.
See, I don't think the second coming of Jesus Christ will be with Armageddon. It isn't his style. I sincerely think he or she will give us a good talking to before the final sentence is passed.
Secretary Kerry should not hesitate to endorse the efforts of Pope Francis. Hey, the two have Roman Catholic understanding of life in common. I can't think of a better peace partner.
Why does this make more sense than any government mediation could achieve? I think he should exclusively carry out the peace process between Israel and Palestine. Seriously. No bribing with money or war machines or unrealistic images of saintly Israel and demonic Palestine. He is a completely removed third party. The man is a genius. There can be only one other entity of which he speaks to on a regular basis and it doesn't have a species designation.
See, I don't think the second coming of Jesus Christ will be with Armageddon. It isn't his style. I sincerely think he or she will give us a good talking to before the final sentence is passed.
Secretary Kerry should not hesitate to endorse the efforts of Pope Francis. Hey, the two have Roman Catholic understanding of life in common. I can't think of a better peace partner.
