Pope John Paul II Meeting Isreali and Palestinian Officials Feb. 25

The Word From Rome February 18, 2005: "The Ministers of Tourism for Israel and the Palestinian National Authority are scheduled for a joint private audience with Pope John Paul II on Friday, Feb. 25. It will be the first time that officials from Israel and the Palestinian Authority have met the pope simultaneously, and will undoubtedly be taken as another sign of a thaw in the Israeli-Palestinian relationship. "

"The two ministers are coming to Rome in large part to ask Christians to resume pilgrimages to the Holy Land, assuring them that the two sides are cooperating to assure tourists safe access to the Holy Sites and easy movement back-and-forth across borders. Due to the violence associated with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tourism to the region has been in decline for years. As one indicator of that reality, the number of American tourists visiting Israel in 2000, just before the second intifadah, was 539,512, according to TravelAge magazine. In 2003, it was 294,672, a decline of almost 50 percent. A 'photo op' with the pope is thus seen by both sides as an ideal way to lure potential Christian visitors. "

First, this shows the Pontiff is recovering and has His attention on the Mid-East situation. Second, the fact that officials from Isreal and the PA will be in the same room is a positive as well.