The visit of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Palestine is nothing short of “historic.” It is of great political, religious, and symbolic significance to the region as a whole.

The Pope is clearly carrying a message of hope for the future of the region. He is coming with a new vision for the next millennium, a vision for peace and justice. Time and again, Pope John Paul II has ventured into troubled areas of the world, underlining his compassion and solidarity with victims of oppression and various forms of injustice and discrimination. Through such efforts, the Pope has certainly been a “moral force” for many people.

Furthermore, the Pope’s apology and repentance for the wrong doings of the Catholic Church have displayed real courage and nobility. Yet, it must also be realized that every guilty nation must come to terms with its own history in order to set the records straight as we attempt to bring peace and justice into the dawn of this new millennium.

The Pope’s visit to Palestine comes at a time of uncertainty, instability, and skepticism about the achievement of genuine peace and reconciliation. The peace process has a long record of turbulence and misfortunes. Continuous Israeli violations of Palestinian rights, and a clear policy of “stubbornness” have undermined almost all hope for the real achievement of regional peace and reconciliation.

Therefore, the visit of His Holiness must not pass with mere superficial diplomatic gestures and shallowness. On the contrary, it must address the real issues of the current stagnation of the peace process and highlight the indispensability of making “tangible” progress.

Hopefully, the visit of His Holiness will contribute constructively to the achievement of stability