Salve Papa, The Aphiphiore אפיפיור, and Jerusalem Up in Smoke

The morning required an increased amount of attention, due to a special presentation I was making with another classmate on Dr. Seuss books in Hebrew. But aftwerards, I skipped out of class, feeling it was my moral and religious duty to welcome a significant figure in the worldly scene, as well as someone who was landing next door to my apartment. That's right, the Holy See touched down on my turf, Haddassah Hospital on Mount Scopus, in Jerusalem. Security was very tight, meaning it was impossible to get in or out of my apartment complex during his landing, the place was swarming with soldiers, and there were four helicopters that landed. There wasn't even a Pope Mobile, so I never saw Benedictus, but there's a good chance who saw me. His schedule is listed below:






Monday, 11 May 2009: Arrival and Official Welcome

• 11:00 - Arrival at Ben-Gurion International Airport (from Jordan). Official welcoming ceremony headed by President Shimon Peres
• 12:05 Arrival at Mount Scopus helipad, Jerusalem. Welcoming ceremony by Jerusalem Mayor, Nir Barkat.
• 16:00 - Visit to the President’s Residence
  Celebratory reception ceremony, working meeting with President Shimon Peres, meeting with Noam Shalit, father of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, joint planting of a tree in the Presidential Garden, personal addresses, artistic program.
• 17:45 - Visit to Yad Vashem, Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Memorial. Memorial ceremony at the Remembrance Hall; Wreath laying; Address by the Pope.
• 18:45 - Interfaith meeting at Notre Dame Jerusalem Center

Tuesday, 12 May 2009: Jerusalem and Mass at Kidron Valley

• 09:15 - Visit the Temple Mount and meet with the Grand Mufti
• 10:00 - Visit the Western Wall accompanied by the Chief Rabbis of Israel
• 10:35 - Visit the Chief Rabbis at the Heichal Shlomo Synagogue
• 12:00 - Visit to the Church of Dormition; prayer at the Cenacle, site of the Last Supper.
• 12:30 - Visit and prayer at Latin Patriarch
• 16:15 - Visit Gethsemane Church and a solemn afternoon Mass at the Garden of Gethsemane 

Wednesday, 13 May 2009: Bethlehem (Palestinian Authority)

• 09:30 - Welcoming ceremony with PA President Abbas
• 10:00 - Celebration of Mass at Manger Square
• 15:30 - Visit the Grotto of the Nativity
• 16:00 - Visit Caritas Baby Hospital , Bethlehem
• 16:45 - Visit Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem
• 17:30 - Departure ceremony, presidential palace, Bethlehem

Thursday, 14 May 2009: Nazareth

• 9:15 - Arrival in Nazareth, welcoming ceremony and the ceremony of bread and salt. Reception by Mayor of Nazareth.
• 10:00 - Mass at Mount of the Precipice
• 15:50 - Meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Church of the Annunciation.
• 16:30 - Meeting with the Faith Heads in Israel, Church of the Annunciation
• 17:00 - Visit Grotto of the Annunciation; Celebration of Vespers, Church of the Annunciation
• 17:30 - Meeting with Catholic leaders, Church of the Annunciation

Friday, 15 May 2009: Departure

• 9:15 - Meeting with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch
• 10:00 - Visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and prayer
• 11:00 - Meeting with Armenian Patriarch
• 13:10 - Depart from Mount Scopus helipad to airport
• 13:30 - Official farewell and ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport, including speeches by President Shimon Peres and Pope Benedict XVI

The Pope comes to Town

That was all day, and I really didn't miss that much class. I mean, it was Archaeology of Jerusalem, and I has spent more than enough time studying that subject yesterday.


Monday night was the religious observance of Lag Ba'omer, and time when Jewish traditions have developed of bonfires and haircuts for young children. No joke. It sounds ridiculous, but in Israel, it's all taken to new extremes. This should shed some light.