Papal Visits to Israel: A Retrospective

Pope Paul VI: Building Bridges Within the Faith

In 1964, Pope Paul VI traveled to Jerusalem. His visit was a whirlwind, lasting for a duration of eleven hours in total, and was viewed by the international community as a historic precedent. Though the Vatican did not yet officially recognize the State of Israel at that time, the Pope did agree to meet with Israeli President Zalman Shazar.

Pope Paul VI, otherwise known as the “Pilgrim Pope,” was the first Pope to travel to six continents while in office, setting an important precedent for future Popes. A former Archbishop of Milan, Pope Paul VI completed the Second Vatican Council, which is otherwise known as Vatican II. This revolutionary council, initiated by Pope John XXIII before his death, was to usher in a new era for the doctrines of Catholicism.

The goal of Pope Paul VI’s visit to Israel was largely to promote unity within the Christian community: He was the first Pope to meet with heads of the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Perhaps the most significant aspect of Paul VI’s visit to Jerusalem was his meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I on the Mount Olives. The result of this meeting was a rescinding of the excommunications that took place during the Great Schism in 1054, establishing Jerusalem as a place where historic rifts can be healed.

While in Israel, Pope Paul VI visited several Christian holy sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Pope John Paul II: Diplomacy For a New Millennium

The visit of John Paul II in 2000 cast the relationship between the Holy See and Israel in a new light, and was hailed by media throughout the world as a groundbreaking step in international diplomacy. Unlike the visit of Paul VI, this one had official status. In addition to visiting Christian holy sites, John Paul II visited the Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, marking the first time that any Pope had visited these sites that are central to Judaism. The new millennium seemed a harbinger of greatly strengthened relations between the Holy See and Israel.

The momentous occasion of the Pope’s visit sent the Holy City into a flurry of preparation and activity: On the day John Paul II arrived in Jerusalem, an Israeli security team of 7,000 was deployed throughout the Old City, and in particular at the holy sites.

In the course of his reign as Pope, John Paul II earned international approbation for his prominent and positive role on the world stage. He is credited for having strengthened relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox and Anglican Churches, as well as with world Jewry. Extraordinarily well-traveled even in comparison to other Popes, Pope John Paul II visited 129 countries in the course of his pontificate, often bringing with him a strong message of peace and conciliation.

The Pope’s confrontation with anti-semitism and the Holocaust excited the gratitude and admiration of Jews worldwide. He was the first Pope to visit the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz, as well as to pay an official papal visit to a synagogue—in this case, the Great Synagogue of Rome. In 1994, he became the first Pope to establish formal diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel.

 On his visit to Israel, John Paul II made a point of paying his respects at the sites holiest to Judaism and Islam as well as to Christianity. In furthering relations between the Christian and Jewish faiths, the Pope met with Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron. In addition, the Pope sought to establish good relations between Christianity and Islam with this visit, paying a courtesy visit to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem on the Temple Mount esplanade. 

In the course of his six day visit, John Paul II led an official mass at Christian holy sites throughout the country, beginning in Manger Square by the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, proceeding to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, and reaching a powerful conclusion at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The purpose of his visit was not only religious, but political as well: John Paul II met with President Ezer Weizman and Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel while he was in Jerusalem, and while in Bethlehem he met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

In keeping with the spirit of conciliation that pervaded his visit, John Paul II became the first Pope to visit the Western Wall and Yad Vashem. He left a prayer note at the Western Wall in accordance with Jewish custom, and this note was later enshrined at Yad Vashem.

 Perhaps even more significantly, John Paul II made a speech acknowledging the tragedy of the Holocaust and prayed for forgiveness for those who had participated. 

To this day, the visit of Pope John Paul II to Israel is regarded as a historic step in advancing relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel, as well as between Roman Catholic Christianity and Judaism.