Pope John Paul II Mt. Nebo visitI have to admit, the news of the Pope’s death disheartened me. May his blessed soul rest in peace. He was a champion of peace and solidarity, something that gained him worldwide respect. The next Pope will certainly have big shoes to fill.

It is worth noting that when Pope John Paul II came to visit Jordan he stopped by my hometown of Madaba. He actually passed by my tribe’s neighborhood, Al-3zeizat as proud Madabains cheered and
clapped.

He also visited Mt. Nebo, the location Hubby and I chose to get married. Here is
another rare picture [not ours] of that visit to the mount that overlooks the Dead Sea.

As an update, when digging through our prayer link, the Pope is speaking glowingly of Jordan during his 2000 pilgrimage:

Pope John Paul II and king AbdullahToday I am in Jordan, a land familiar to me from the Holy Scriptures: a land sanctified by the presence of Jesus himself, by the presence of Moses, Elijah and John the Baptist, and of saints and martyrs of the early Church. Yours is a land noted for its hospitality and openness to all. These are qualities of the Jordanian people which I have experienced many times in conversations with the late King Hussein, and which were confirmed anew in my meeting with Your Majesty at the Vatican in September last year.

Your Majesty, I know how deeply concerned you are for peace in your own land and in the entire region, and how important it is to you that all Jordanians—Muslims and Christians—should consider themselves as one people and one family.

Source: [Pope John Paul II’s Amman airport address]