Pope Francis

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LIVE VIDEO (and video) of all activities/visits of Pope Francis to the Holy Land, May 24 -26, 2014.  In case a live video is missed of the event, please find the appropriate video at the right side--at the link below.

At the time of this post, the count down clock shows 6:42:00 and counting until the arrival of Pope Francis in Jordan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpSk-Rjz6-Y

Arrival of Pope Francis in Jordan
Scheduled for May 24, 2014

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Pope Francis arrives in Jordan and is transferred by car to the Al-Husseini Royal Palace for the welcome ceremony.

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At the link -- LIVE VIDEO and video repeats of events/visits of Pope Francis to the Holy Land, May 24 -26, 2014.
Videos have English commentary and translation

http://saltandlighttv.org/live/

http://saltandlighttv.org/popefrancisholyland2014/

 
Salt + Light TV will be broadcasting his trip LIVE on these times below:

 Mass with Pope Francis in Jordan LIVE Sat, May 24 at 8:40am ET / 5:40am PT
Repeat:
► May 24 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT
► May 24 at 11pm ET / 8pm PT 
 Visit to Bethany Beyond the Jordan LIVE Sat, May 24 at 12pm ET / 9am PT
Repeat:
► May 24 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
► May 25 at 1:30am ET / May 24 at 10:30pm PT 
Mass with Pope Francis in Manger Square LIVE Sun, May 25 at 3:45am ET / 12:45am PT
 Repeat:
► May 25 at 8am ET / 5am PT
► May 25 at 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
► May 26 at 2:30am ET / May 25 11:30pm PT 
Pope Francis in Bethlehem
 Pope Francis visits the Church of the Nativity
 Pope Francis Meets with Palestinian Children and Refugees Sun, May 25 at 11am ET / 8am PT
Repeat:
► May 25 at 1:15pm ET / 10:15am PT
► May 25 at 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT
► May 26 at 1:30am ET / May 25 10:30pm PT 
Ecumenical Meeting in Jerusalem  LIVE Sun, May 25 at 11:45am ET / 8:45am PT
Repeat:
► May 25 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT
► May 26 at 12am ET / May 25 at 9pm PT 
Pope Francis in Jerusalem Mon, May 26 at 7:30am ET / 4:30am PT
Repeat:
► May 26 at 12pm ET / 9am PT
► May 27 at 12am ET / May 26 at 9pm PT
Pope Francis Meets the Clergy of Jerusalem  LIVE Mon, May 26 at 8:30am ET / 5:30am PT
Repeat:
► May 26 at 1pm ET / 10am PT
► May 27 at 1am ET / May 26 at 10pm PT 
Mass with Pope Francis in the Cenacle LIVE Mon, May 26 at 10am ET / 7am PT
Repeat:
► May 26 at 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT 

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/jordan/10853876/Pope-Francis-makes-his-first-official-visit-to-the-Holy-Land.html

Pope Francis makes his first official visit to the Holy Land
3:02PM BST 24 May 2014





Pope Francis began his first visit as pope to the Holy Land by praising Jordan's efforts "to seek lasting peace for the entire region".

"This great goal urgently requires that a peaceful solution be found to the crisis in Syria, as well as a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said.

More than 160,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict and millions have fled to neighbouring countries, including Jordan.

After meeting King Abdullah and saying a Mass in an Amman stadium, the pontiff will meet some of those Syrian refugees in Bethany on the Jordan, the place where according to tradition Jesus was baptised, as well as others who fled violence in Iraq.

Conflict across the region, including the Arab revolts of recent years and the civil war in Syria, has accelerated a historic decline in its Christian community.

In Israel and the occupied West Bank, where the pope will travel on Sunday and Monday, more Palestinian Christians are looking to leave, accusing Israel of eroding their economic prospects and hobbling their freedom of movement.

Francis, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, will also use the trip to appeal to members of all religions to work together for peace.

"Religious freedom is in fact a fundamental human right and I cannot fail to express my hope that it will be upheld throughout the Middle East and the entire world," he said.
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-addresses-jordanian-authorities-in-am

Pope Francis addresses Jordanian authorities in Amman
2014-05-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has addressed leading political and religious representatives and diplomats at the start of his visit to Jordan, the first leg of his three-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  In his speech at the Royal Palace in Amman, the Pope praised Jordan for its generosity towards refugees from neighbouring countries, especially Syria and  the nation’s efforts to help seek a lasting peace in the Middle East.  Pope Francis  also paid tribute to Jordan’s efforts to promote interreligious dialogue and stressed the importance of religious freedom, in the Middle East and the entire world.

Here is the English translation of the Pope’s discourse to the Jordanian authorities at the Royal Palace
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/24/pope_francis_at_mass_in_jordan_holy_spirit_begets_harmony/1100931

Pope in Jordan: Holy Spirit begets harmony
24/05/2014

(Vatican Radio) “The mission of the Holy Spirit… is to beget harmony – he is himself harmony – and to create peace in different situations and between different people.”

These words were delivered by Pope Francis as he celebrated his first Mass during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land on Saturday at the International Stadium in Amman, Jordan.

Patriarch Fouad Twal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, greeted the Holy Father during Mass, addressing him in both Arabic and Italian.

"In your person," the patriarch said, “we see the figure of John the Baptist, patron of Jordan… You prepare the way of the Saviour through the conversion of hearts, raising your voice against every injustice and every violence.”

Also attending the Mass were 1,400 Jordanian children who were receiving their first Holy Communion that day.

In his homily during Mass, Pope Francis recalled the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus following his Baptism at the river Jordan, located close to where the Mass was taking place.

The Pope focused on three key themes, pertaining to how the Holy Spirit prepares, anoints, and sends.
 

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Photo at the link

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/24/pope_meets_refugees,_disabled_youth_near_jordans_banks/1100933

Pope Francis meets with refugees, disabled youth near Jordan's banks
24/05/2014

 
After arriving at the site in an oversized golf cart driven by his host, King Abdullah, Pope Francis walked down the stone steps to the waters’ edge and spent a few moments in silent prayer. He was then driven to the nearby Catholic Church which is still under construction following its inauguration during the 2009 visit of Pope Benedict XVI. Here he met with several hundred refugees and young disabled people, reminding them that Jesus came to be baptised by John so that he could fully take on our human condition and heal us through his love.  Here too he made his second appeal of the day for an end to the conflict in neighbouring Syria. Departing from his prepared text, he denounced in the strongest possible terms those who sells weapons to warring parties. The root of evil and conflict, he said is ”the hatred and greed for money” of those who produce and sell arms and he prayed that God would convert the hearts of “these criminals, these poor people.” The Pope thanked the Jordanian government and people for the way they have welcomed so many refugees and praised the work of organisations like Caritas Jordan who provide assistance and solidarity to all, regardless of religious  beliefs, ethnic origins or political persuasions. Asking God to change the hearts of the violent and those who seek war, the Pope also urged the international community to support Jordan in the task of tackling the humanitarian emergency caused by the arrival of so many refugees.

It may have been a very short visit to Jordan but the Pope’s words will certainly be ringing in the ears of leaders across this troubled region and beyond.

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Waiting for arrive -- live streaming

19.00 ECUMENICAL MEETING on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. Discourse of the Holy Father

http://saltandlighttv.org/live/

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/25/declaration_signed_by_the_pope_and_patriarch_bartholomew/1100965

Common Declaration signed by Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
25/05/2014

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, on Sunday held private talks in Jerusalem and signed a Common Declaration in which they pledged to continue on the path towards unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Their encounter marked the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch Athenagoras in 1964.   In their joint declaration, Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew  said it is their duty to work together to protect human dignity and the family and build a just and humane society in which nobody feels excluded.   They also stressed the need to safeguard God’s creation and the right of religious freedom.  The two leaders expressed concern over the situation facing Christians amidst the conflicts of the Middle East and spoke of the urgency of the hour that compels them to seek the reconciliation and unity of the human family whilst fully respecting legitimate differences.

Please find below the full text in English of the Common Declaration of Pope Francis and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I:
 

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http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-speaks-at-ecumenical-celebration-in-j

Pope Francis speaks at ecumenical celebration in Jerusalem
2014-05-25 Vatican Radio



(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis lamented the “tragic” divisions between Christians and said our disagreements must not frighten us and paralyse our progress towards unity.  His remarks came during an ecumenical prayer service held with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and other Christian leaders in Jerusalem’s Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.   Earlier Pope Francis and the Patriarch held private talks and signed a common declaration pledging to continue along the path towards full unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis
Ecumenical Celebration in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre
Jerusalem, 25 May 2014
 

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/patriarch-bartholomew-s-homily-at-prayer-service-with-pope

Patriarch Bartholomew's Homily at Prayer Service With Pope
"This sacred Tomb invites us to shed another fear that is perhaps the most prevalent in our modern age: namely, fear of the other, fear of the different, fear of the adherent of another faith, another religion, or another confession"

Jerusalem,  May 25, 2014  (Zenit.org)   | 148 hits

Here is the homily of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew given today at the joint prayer service with Pope Francis, held in Jerusalem at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.
 

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Video and photos at the link

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-gets-warm-welcome-from-palestinians/

May 25, 2014, 7:05 AM
Pope Francis gets warm welcome from Palestinians
Last Updated May 25, 2014 7:15 AM EDT

BETHLEHEM, West Bank - The offices of the Israeli and Palestinian presidents are confirming that they have accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to visit the Vatican together next month.

At the end of an open-air Mass in the biblical town of Bethlehem on Sunday, Francis invited the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the Vatican to pray for peace.

The offices of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres both said they would attend.

The 90-year-old Peres, who is stepping down this summer, has been a fervent supporter of Mideast peace efforts. His decision risks upsetting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is angry about outreach efforts by other politicians at a time when Abbas is reconciling with the Islamic militant group Hamas.

Pope Francis landed Sunday in the cradle of Christianity in a symbolic nod to Palestinian aspirations for their own state, calling the stalemate in peace talks "unacceptable" and stopping briefly to pray at the Israeli separation barrier surrounding this biblical West Bank town.
 

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Photo gallery at the link

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-lands-bethlehem-nod-palestinian-state-060604654.html

Pope lands in Bethlehem, nod to Palestinian state
17 hours ago

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Pope Francis landed Sunday in the West Bank town of Bethlehem in a symbolic nod to Palestinian aspirations for their own state as he began a busy second day of his Mideast pilgrimage.

Jubilant, flag-waving Palestinians greeted Francis in Bethlehem's Manger Square, where he was to celebrate Mass on a stage next to the Church of the Nativity, built over Jesus' traditional birth grotto. Giant Palestinian flags in red, white, green and black hanging alongside the Vatican's yellow-and-white flags decorated the square. Many in the crowd also wore black-and-white checkered scarves around their heads or necks, a symbol of the Palestinian cause.

Previous popes always came to the West Bank after first arriving in Tel Aviv, Israel. Francis, however, landed at a Bethlehem helipad from Jordan aboard a Jordanian helicopter and immediately headed into an official welcoming ceremony and meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In its official program, the Vatican referred to Abbas as the president of the "state of Palestine."

"The fact that he is coming straight from Jordan to Bethlehem, without going through Israel," is a tacit recognition of a Palestinian state, said Hanan Ashrawi, a Palestinian Christian who is a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization.
 

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/10854276/Bethlehem-welcomes-Pope-Francis.html

Bethlehem welcomes Pope Francis
6:00AM BST 25 May 2014


Workers prepare Manger Square for the visit of Pope Francis (REUTERS)

Bethlehem, 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.

A large banner hung from a mosque, just a few steps away from where the Pope will stand, read: “Welcome to Palestine. The detainees in the occupation prisons are pleading for freedom and dignity.”

Pope Francis, who spent Saturday in Jordan on the first day of his three-day visit to the Holy Land, will visit the Church of the Nativity, which was commissioned by the Roman emperor Constantine in the fourth century but then rebuilt in the sixth century by the emperor Justinian.
 

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http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/25/popes_homily_at_bethlehems_church_of_the_nativity_/1100954

Pope's homily at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity
25/05/2014

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Video at the link

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/25/world/pope-mideast-trip/

Pope Francis invites Israeli, Palestinian leaders to Vatican peace talks 
updated 1:39 PM EDT, Sun May 25, 2014

Bethlehem, West Bank (CNN) -- Pope Francis extended an invitation Sunday to the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to travel to the Vatican for a "peace initiative," after earlier calling for a two-state solution to the intractable conflict.

The pontiff's remarks came at the end of an outdoor Mass in Bethlehem's Manger Square on the second day of his three-day trip to the Middle East.

"In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with Israeli President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace," Francis said.

"I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer."

He added, "Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment. The men and women of these lands, and of the entire world, all of them, ask us to bring before God their fervent hopes for peace."

The Palestinian side has accepted the invitation and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will go to the Vatican, a Palestinian Legislative Council member, Hanan Ashrawi, told CNN.

The Israeli President's office said that he welcomed the invitation. "President Peres has always supported, and will continue to support, any attempts to progress the cause of peace," his office said.

Pope Francis then traveled on to Tel Aviv, where in remarks on the airport tarmac to Peres and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he again issued an invitation to pray for peace at the Vatican. He also reiterated the Vatican's support for Israel's right to exist in peace and security.

The next stop on his historic trip was Jerusalem.
 

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Here is another source for viewing videos--

Uploads (videos) and Upcoming Events by The Vatican in English.  Please select the video of interest to you.

http://www.youtube.com/user/vatican

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http://www.haaretz.com/travel-in-israel/religion-relics/pope-holy-land-visit/1.592611

Pope Francis calls for peace in first visit to Israel
May 25, 2014 | 10:22 PM

Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afteroon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. The pope spent the morning in the West Bank and arrived in Israel later in the day.

After landing at Ben-Gurion Airport, the pope called on Israelis and Palestinians to leave 'no stone unturned' in the quest for peace in the Middle East. Speaking before him, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel extends its hand in peace, while President Shimon Peres thanked the pope for his unrelenting stance against anti-Semitism.

The pope, Netanyahu and Peres each condemned the terror attack in Brussels on Saturday, in which three people were killed - two of them Israelis.

Veering off a prepared text, Francis deplored "this criminal act of anti-Semitic hatred."

"With a deeply pained heart, I think of those who have lost their lives in the cruel attack that occurred yesterday in Brussels," he said. "I entrust the victims to God's mercy and invoke recovery for the injured."

Speaking earlier in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, the Pope made a plea for peace, saying the prolonged Israel-Palestinian conflict had become unacceptable. At the end of an open-air Mass, Francis invited the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to the Vatican to pray for peace. His invitation was accepted by both leaders.

Francis delighted his hosts in the West Bank by referring directly to the "state of Palestine," giving support for their bid for full statehood recognition in the face of a paralyzed peace process. However Francis made clear that a negotiated accord was needed, calling on leaders from both sides to show the necessary courage to forge a deal.

"For the good of all, there is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating the conditions for a stable peace based on justice, on the recognition of the rights of every individual, and on mutual security," he said.

The offices of the Israeli and Palestinian presidents confirmed that they have accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to visit the Vatican together next month, joining the pope in a prayer for peace.
 

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http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-urges-two-state-solution-in-first-remarks-to-israel/

Pope Francis Urges Two-State Solution in First Remarks to Israel
05/25/2014



TEL AVIV, Israel — Late Sunday afternoon Pope Francis arrived in Tel Aviv, where he urged Israeli President Shimon Peres and other authorities to adopt a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Renewing the appeal made by Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis called for “universal recognition” of “the right of the State of Israel to exist and flourish in peace and security within internationally recognized borders.”

“At the same time, there must also be a recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign homeland and their right to live with dignity and with freedom of movement. The ‘Two State Solution’ must become reality and not remain merely a dream,” he urged those gathered at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 25.

The Pope’s speech to Palestinian leaders in Bethlehem early in the day expressed the same call for a peaceful solution.

Pope Francis reiterated his invitation to prayer in the Vatican, which he had also offered to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Both Abbas and Peres have accepted and will join him sometime in June.

The Holy Father noted improving relations between the Vatican and the State of Israel, expressing his prayerful best wishes to “all the people of Israel” that “their aspirations of peace and prosperity will achieve fulfillment.”

He described his journey as a pilgrimage to a land of “immense spiritual significance for a great part of humanity,” praying that “this blessed land may be one which has no place for those who, by exploiting and absolutizing the value of their own religious tradition, prove intolerant and violent towards those of others.”

Pope Francis’ words were emphatic, imploring “those in positions of responsibility to leave no stone unturned in the search for equitable solutions to complex problems.”

“The path of dialogue, reconciliation and peace must constantly be taken up anew, courageously and tirelessly. There is simply no other way,” he stressed.

Welcoming the Pope
 

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Coming up LIVE stream in 26 minutes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NABigk3MCUE

Visit to the Great Mufti of Jerusalem and to the Western Wall
Scheduled for May 26, 2014

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Pope Francis visits the Great Mufti of Jerusalem and meets the leaders of the Muslim Community in the building of the Great Council on the Esplanade of the Mosques in Jerusalem. He then visits the Western Wall.

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Video at the link

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-in-historic-visit-to-jerusalem/

May 26, 2014, 2:21 AM
Pope Francis makes historic stop in Jerusalem


Pope Francis stands in front of the Dome of the Rock during his visit to the compound. known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, May 26, 2014./ REUTERS

Last Updated May 26, 2014 6:45 AM EDT

JERUSALEM -- Pope Francis prayed on Monday at Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, and deviated from his busy itinerary to visit a memorial to Israeli victims of terrorism as he spent his third and final day in the Middle East honoring Jews.

Francis bowed his head in prayer and touched the wall, the only remains of the biblical Second Temple.

He left a note with the text of the "Our Father" prayer written in his native Spanish in one of the cracks between the stones.
 
He started the day by taking off his shoes to enter the Dome of the Rock, the iconic shrine located at the third-holiest spot in Islam. The gold-topped dome enshrines the rock where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven.
 

Pope Francis kisses the hand of Holocaust survivor Sonia Tunik-Geron during a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, May 26, 2014./ REUTERS

The most poignant visit of the day, said Pizzey, was Francis' stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

In an address that was in fact a prayer, Francis used the evocative Hebrew word "Shoah" in reference to the Holocaust, which he called "an enduring symbol of the depths to which human evil can sink," and added, "I beg God that there will never be another such crime."

To underscore his respect int he Jewish state, Francis kissed the hands of half a dozen Holocaust survivors and listened to their stories of horror.

The pope's final day is a whirlwind of activities, from the Dome of the Rock to the Western Wall, to Mount Herzl, the Israeli national cemetery named for the father of modern Zionism, and a speech at Yad Vashem. There will also be meetings with the chief rabbis of Israel, the Israeli president and prime minister, local priests and finally, Mass in the Room of the Last Supper, where Jesus shared his final meal with his disciples before being crucified.

He is due to return to Rome just before midnight.

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Coming up LIVE stream in 33 minutes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW9i5EXJoWw

Farewell Ceremony from Israel
Scheduled for May 26, 2014

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Pope Francis is greeted by the President of Israel , Shimon Peres, for the Farewell Ceremony from the State of Israel.