Pope Francis and his entourage arrived at Ben Gurion airport on Sunday afternoon, welcomed by the Jewish State’s senior leadership. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set the tone with a warm speech which began with the words, “welcome to our land, the Land of Israel, the Holy Land.” He added a reminder to his host that Jewish-Christian relations “are anchored in the Bible.” He also reminded Francis that “despite all the incitement and disturbances and pogroms against our people, we regained our independence in our ancestral homeland, to be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem” and that “Israel is an island of tolerance. We safeguard the rights of all faiths. We guarantee freedom of worship for all.” Francis thanked his hosts and began a tour of Israel which included stops at Yad Vashem, laying a wreath at the tomb of Theodor Herzl and meetings with various civic and religious leaders. Read More
