Information for Foreign Journalists
ahead of the Visit of Pope Francis to Israel
25-26 May 2014
Welcome! We at the Government Press Office (GPO) wish to extend our warm greetings and will do all that we can to facilitate your visit and make it enjoyable and efficient.
Please note the following information (Further information can be found in the official site of the visit):
1. Accreditation
The GPO recommends that visiting journalists apply for a „GPO Visiting Journalist Card”. We advise applying as soon as possible through our online application form. You may find all the details about the process, including rules, the fee and necessary documents, at this link.
The GPO is committed to processing on time completed applications which have been submitted no later than May 18.
For assistance and follow up on your application, please contact the GPO staff member responsible for the media from your country.
2. Media Center
The GPO will operate a media center with full facilities and live feed (TV, Internet & stills) in order to support visiting journalists throughout the visit. The media center will be located in the Mamilla Hotel, 11 King Solomon St., Jerusalem. It will open on Saturday, May 24, at 20:00. Every GPO card holder is welcome, without charge.
For questions, please contact Sharon Nissim at [email protected]
or GPO Director Nitzan Chen at [email protected]
3. Press tours before, during and after the visit
The GPO and the Ministry of Tourism will offer tours in Jerusalem and throughout the country for visiting journalists, about the three monotheistic religions and related sites. The tours will take place on Thursday May 22, Friday morning May 23; Saturday night May 24; Monday May 26 and Tuesday May 27. They will depend on a minimum number of participants and are subject to change. Further details will be issued separately. A GPO card is necessary to participate.
4. Schedule
Please note:
A. The State of Israel and the GPO are not responsible for Pope Francis’ visit to the Kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.
B. The arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport on May 25 and the meeting with President Shimon Peres on May 26 are the only events in Israel that will be open for coverage (details will be issued separately). All other events will be pool coverage only.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
13:00 – Arrival at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman
13:45 – Arrival Ceremony in the al-Husseini Royal Palace in Amman
Courtesy visit to their Majesties the King and Queen of Jordan
14:20 – Meeting with the authorities of the Kingdom of Jordan. Discourse of the Holy Father
16:00 – Holy Mass at the International Stadium in Amman. Homily of the Holy Father
19:00 – Visit to the baptismal site at Bethany beyond the Jordan
Sunday, May 25, 2014
08:30 – Departure by helicopter from Queen Alia Internal Airport in Amman for Bethlehem
09:30 – Arrival ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Bethlehem
Courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority
10:00 – Meeting with Palestinian Authority leaders. Discourse of the Holy Father
11:00 – Holy Mass in Manger Square in Bethlehem. Homily of the Holy Father
Regina Coeli prayer. Allocution of the Holy Father
15:00 – Private visit to the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem
15:45 – Farewell ceremony from the Palestinian Authority at the Bethlehem helipad
16:00 – Departure by helicopter from the Bethlehem helipad for Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel
16:30 – Arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport. Open coverage; details to be issued separately. Discourse of the Holy Father
17:45 – Arrival at the Jerusalem helipad on Mount Scopus
18:15 – Private meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I at the Apostolic Delegation in Jerusalem. Signing of a joint declaration.
19:00 – Ecumenical meeting on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher. Discourse of the Holy Father
20:00 – Dinner with Patriarchs and Bishops and the Papal suite at the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem
20:00 – Reception for foreign visiting journalists and invited guests at the Mamilla Hotel, hosted by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
Monday, May 26, 2014
08:15 – Visit to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, in the building of the Great Council on the Esplanade of the Mosques. Discourse of the Holy Father
08:30 – Visit to the Dome of the Rock
09:10 – Visit to the Western Wall
09:45 – Lay a wreath at Mount Herzl
10:00 – Visit to Yad Vashem . Discourse of the Holy Father
10:45 – Courtesy visit to the two chief rabbis (Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau) at Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem, next to the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. Discourse of the Holy Father
11:45 – Meeting with the President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem. Open coverage, conditioned on registration with Yair Zivan, the President office, at [email protected] Registration begins on May 1st (only!). Only those who receive confirmation will be included on the guest list.
13:00 – Private audience with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, at Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem
13:30 – Lunch with the Papal suite at Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem
15:30 – Private visit to Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I at the building next to the Orthodox church of Viri Galileai on the Mount of Olives
16:00 – Meeting with priests, men and women religious and seminarians in the Church of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Discourse of the Holy Father
17:20 – Holy Mass with the Ordinaries of the Holy Land and the Papal Suite in the Room of the Cenacle in Jerusalem. Homily of the Holy Father
19:30 – Transfer by helicopter from the Jerusalem helipad on Mount Scopus to Ben Gurion International Airport
20:00 – Farewell from the State of Israel at Ben Gurion International Airport
20:15 – Departure from Ben Gurion International Airport for Ciampino Airport in Rome
For more details please visit the Vatican City official site here
