Welcome historic visit

The historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Holy Land should be an opportunity to shed light on: Jordan as an oasis of stability and safety in a neighbourhood plagued by violence and conflict; the plight of the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation; the importance of religion to propagating goodness and peace, and to solving conflict.

The Pope represents not only the 1.2 billion Catholics and, more generally, the 2.2 billion Christians of the world. As a man of religion, he is symbolic of all people of faith who believe in, and pray for, peace, security, progress and understanding.

In these trying times for the region, when sectarianism, terrorism and religious discord rear their ugly heads, the Pontiff comes with a message of peace, harmony and brotherly relations among peoples.

His Holiness will find in Jordan a place where interfaith dialogue has sprung deep roots and where Muslims and Christians living side by side in complete harmony.

Jordan has set an example; it provides a living model of interfaith coexistence, one that should be emulated by many in the region.

Still, the Kingdom will welcome prayers for a peaceful, stable neighbourhood. It needs the prayers and good offices of the Pope for the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli and Syrian conflicts.

Hundreds of thousands of innocent lives have been lost in the region and millions have become refugees because the superpowers cannot find the determination to put an end to this human misery. If anything, over the years, these “great” countries did everything in their power to compound the problems.

The spiritual stamp of the Vatican is needed to complement, or perhaps even replace the ineffective traditional ways to solve conflicts, especially in view of the fact that the UN system failed the region.

The Vatican could step in to fill the vacuum in international relations and lend a spiritual dimension to the world order.

Religions are not only for prayers, but also to contribute to the salvation of mankind from the evils perpetrated by fellow human beings, often in the name of a religion they fail to properly understand.