May 20, 2009 / 16:29 pm
The Apostolic Nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Antonio Franco, said this week that in the wake of Benedict XVI’s visit to the Holy Land, “We have felt the Pope’s heart close to the reality of the Holy Land, and for all Christians it was a marvelous experience.”
The Nuncio told the Italian bishops' news agency that the Pope’s visit was “extremely positive” and that the Holy Father “has given us wonderful memories in the Holy Land. They were very intense days, whether during the times in which there was some tension or during the times when there was great participation and spiritual fervor.”
Archbishop Franco said, “Benedict XVI experienced all of the realities of the Holy Land, as they are genuinely experienced day by day. He experienced the fatigue, the difficulties and the tensions of Jerusalem, the more relaxed atmosphere of Bethlehem and later the family atmosphere of Nazareth.”
“Many reactions and difficulties fell away on the eve of the trip for sure,” the Nuncio recalled. “An atmosphere of profound communication was created despite that there was not a personal encounter with everyone. But we have felt the Pope’s heart close to the reality of the Holy Land and this has been a marvelous experience for us Christians.”