Following a meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Amman,
Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Dominique Mamberti said that during his
August visit to the Vatican, His Majesty King Abdullah invited the pontiff to
visit the Kingdom. He said "specific arrangements" are currently
being looked into. It is expected that the visit will be next year and the
Pope's visit to the holy lands will start from Jordan, the Jordan News Agency,
Petra, reported. Judeh and the Vatican's top diplomat reviewed the latest regional
conditions and issues of joint concern during their meeting, the agency said.
Judeh said the meeting was in follow-up of the "important
visit" by King Abdullah to the Vatican in August, his meeting with Pope
Francis and the talks he held with the pontiff. At his meeting with
Vatican's visiting foreign minister, Judeh stressed the Kingdom's continued
commitment to strengthening relations with the Vatican in a manner that fosters
the values of love and harmony between the nations and achieves peace and
stability for the people and the countries of the Middle East.
Discussions focused on political developments in the region, the
Middle East peace process and Jordan's position which asserts the need for
establishing an independent viable and sovereign Palestinian state that lives
in peace and security with its neighbours.
Judeh explained that Jordan is a "model of tolerance and
co-existence" between the Christian and Muslim people, highlighting King
Abdullah's custodianship of Christian and Islamic sites and his role in
safeguarding them and protecting the Christian residents of Jerusalem.
Stressing the strong diplomatic relations between Jordan and the
Vatican, Mamberti underlined the importance of Jordan as a holy land and a
country that respects religious pluralism, unity and harmony among all its
people, not only to create peace in the Arab region but also in the Middle East
as a whole.
Source: The Jordan Times
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