From Amman, Jordan, to Bethlehem, West Bank, and Jerusalem, Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land is designed as a spiritual pilgrimage. It commemorates the visit 50 years ago of Pope Paul VI and his historic meeting with Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople.
Pope Francis, center, speaks as Ghazi bin Mohamad, third from left, representative of King Abdullah of Jordan, and other officials look on during a visit to the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Islam’s third holiest shrine. (AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis leads a prayer during a meeting with prelates, nuns and seminarists at the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, in east Jerusalem. The pope called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem. (Jack Guez / AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis, center, hugs Imam Omar Abboud, left, and Rabbi Abraham Skorka, leaders in the Argentine Islamic and Jewish communities who are traveling with him, as a Jewish rabbi looks on, during a stop at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, in Jerusalem’s Old City. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Pope Francis prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. (Thomas Coex / AFP/ Getty Images)
Pope Francis visits the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem. (Israeli Government Press Office / Getty Images)
Pope Francis touches the wall that divides Israel from the West Bank on his way to celebrate Mass in Manger Square. (Osservatore Romano / Associated Press)
Pope Francis blesses a child as he leaves Manger Square after presiding over an open-air Mass. (Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/ Getty Images)
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Pope Francis visits the Church of the Nativity. (Osservatore Romano / Associated Press)
Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity. A mural in the background depicts Jesus’ birth with former Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI shown at left. (Nasser Nasser / Associated Press)
Pope Francis waves as he rides past Israel’s separation barrier on his way to celebrate Mass in Manger Square, next to the Church of the Nativity. (Ariel Schalit / Associated Press)
People wave flags as they gather in Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity. (Thomas Coex / AFP/ Getty Images)
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Pope Francis talks with Israeli President Shimon Peres during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. (Oded Balilty / Associated Press)
Pope Francis and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas review troops as they arrive at the presidential palace for a welcoming ceremony. (Ahmad Gharabli / AFP / Getty Images)
Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives at Manger Square before presiding over an open-air Mass outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Jack Guez / AFP/ Getty Images)
Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives at Manger Square before presiding over an open-air Mass outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Jack Guez / AFP/ Getty Images)
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Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity. (Andrew Medichini / Associated Press)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greets Pope Francis in the West Bank city of Ramallah. ( Palestinian Press Ofiice / Getty Images)
Pope Francis shakes hands with well-wishers after celebrating Mass at John the Baptist Church near the historical site of Bethany Beyond the Jordan, west of Amman, where tradition says Jesus was baptized. (Mohammad Hannon / Associated Press)
Pope Francis salutes the crowd as he leaves the stadium following a Mass in Amman, Jordan. (Patrick Baz / AFP/ Getty Images)
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Pope Francis, left, sits next to Jordanian King Abdullah II’s religious affairs advisor as he meets with refugees at a church in Bethany Beyond the Jordan, traditionally held to be the site of Jesus’ baptism. (Sami Khanman / AFP/ Getty Images)
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MAY 26: (ISRAEL OUT) In this handout provided by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), Pope Francis visits the dome of the rock on May 26, 2014 in Jerusalen, Israel. Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday afternoon, a day after landing in the Middle East for his first visit to the Holy Land. During his visit to the West Bank the Pontiff addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as “unacceptable” and urged both sides to find courage in seeking a peaceful solution. (Photo by Haim Zach - GPO /Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** (GPO / Getty Images)
Pope Francis is greeted after his flight lands in Amman, the capital of Jordan. (Andrew Medichini / AFP/ Getty Images)
Pope Francis waves upon his arrival to celebrate Mass in the Jordanian capital, Amman. (Raad Adayleh / Associated Press)