Pope Benedict XVI message and holy blessings in Amman during five-day visit to the holy sites of Israel and Palestine

Pope Benedict XVI blessing during the celebration Mass at a stadium in Amman, Jordan
Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges the faithful as he celebrates Mass at a stadium in Amman, Jordan. Catholics from across the Middle East came to the city to attend the service. The Pope urged the congregation not to forget the "great dignity" of their Christian heritage

Pope Benedict XVI greeting and blessing for the peace to the crowds of people
Catholics in the Middle East needed "the courage of conviction, born of personal faith, not mere social convention or family tradition", he said during Sunday Mass at the International stadium in Amman


Pope Benedict XVI greetings to the crowd of people at the end of an open-air Mass at the international stadium in Amman
Pope Benedict XVI greets a crowd of the faithful at the end of an open-air Mass at the international stadium in Amman


Pope Benedict XVI meeting met King Abdullah II of Jordan at the royal palace in Amman and said that religious freedom was a human right
The Pope met King Abdullah II of Jordan at the royal palace in Amman. The Pope emphasised his "deep respect" for Islam in Jordan, on his first trip as pontiff to an Arab state, and said that religious freedom was a human right


Pope Benedict XVI meeting with Israel President Shimon Peres about for an independent Palestinian homeland
Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the evils of anti-Semitism and called for an independent Palestinian homeland after meeting Israel President Shimon Peres