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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - By: R.B. Sinclair - Pope Francis concluded the first part of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. His next stop will be at Bethlehem where He is scheduled to hold the Sunday Mass at the Manger Square. The 20-hour visit to Jordan left no doubt of His Holiness call for Peace, Love and Forgiveness.

The Pope arrived to the Latin Church at the Baptism site in a silver Toyota Camry . King Abdullah II, Queen Rania and HRH Crown Prince Hussein welcomed the Pope at the Baptism site, and accompanied Him to Bethany beyond the Jordan where Jesus was baptized. His Holiness made another stop at the River Jordan and prayed in silence.

Over 600 invited people gathered under the roof of the church's unfinished concrete building to hear the Pope's address. The church's walls were bare, except for few large posters. Windows and doors were not installed and the floor was partly covered with carpet or cardboard. The place seemed to embody the Popes's saying: "a poor church for the poor." Guests of honor were the disabled and the disadvantaged. The misery of the refugees, who came from the surrounding Arab countries, highlighted the grave consequences of wars afflicting Arab communities.

In His address, Pope Francis said “I feel the pain of Syria.” He stressed the necessity to find a peaceful resolution to the Syrian crisis and urged all parties to work toward achieving peace and the return of refugees to their homes. “Syria's war must end soon." He stressed His Holiness questioned: “Who sells the guns? Who makes these guns so man can kill his brother? He denounced war profiteers as evil and criminals and prayed for their hearts to know Mercy. The Pope delivered his address in Italian and Cardinal Twal read His speech in Arabic.
Pope Francis thanked Jordan for welcoming refugees from Palestine, Iraq and Syria and called on the international community to support Jordan's efforts to accommodate them. His Holiness, also, thanked the people inside the church, especially those who had to endure extra hardship to get there. He heard from the sick and the disabled. At one point, He stepped down the podium to bless a woman sitting in a wheel chair. People surrounded His Holiness eager to touch Him and be blessed by Him.
Paradoxically, the Pope's visit and denunciation of “War Profiteers“ was sandwiched between the SOFEX 2014 arms exhibit and next week’s military exercises to train men on how to kill more people with increased efficiency. A number of countries participating in the “Eager Lion” exercise are notorious in their oppression of their own citizens and have publicly acknowledged their role in financing and recruiting mercenaries, who continue to destroy life in Iraq, Libya and Syria.