Pope begins visit to Middle East
Pope Francis has arrived in Jordan, kicking off his three-day trip to the Middle East.
The pope’s flight from Rome landed this afternoon at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport.
Pope Francis will meet King Abdullah II and Queen Rania at the royal palace first.
Then he will celebrate mass in Amman’s International Stadium. The Vatican expects some 25,000 people to attend, many of them Palestinian, Syrian and Iraqi refugees.
Later, he will meet one-on-one with refugees and disabled children at a church in Bethany beyond the Jordan, which many believe is the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism.
He will travel tomorrow from Jordan to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, where the pope will meet President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders.
