Friday, April 15, 2016

Pope's Israel trip presented in photographs


Sergio Carmona, South Florida Sun-Sentinel


Image from article, with caption: From left, St. Thomas University President Msgr. Franklyn Casale pointing at a picture from Pope Francis’ 2014 trip to Israel is joined by Auxiliary Bishop Peter Baldacchiho, Israeli consul general to Florida and Puerto Rico Lior Haiat and Rabbi Solomon Schiff.

Excerpt:
A photographic exhibition on Pope Francis' May, 2014 visit to Israel is now on display at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens through July 11.
This exhibit – a joint effort between the university, the Consulate General of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico and local rabbis – features images captured by an official photographer of the Israeli government who had unrestricted access to the time Pope Francis spent with former President of Israel Shimon Peres, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, as well as leaders of the Muslim and Jewish faiths. The pope visited some of the holiest Jewish and Christian sites. ...
Lior Haiat, the new Israeli consul general to Florida and Puerto Rico, praised Pope Francis' visit during the opening ceremony. Haiat was part of this visit by the pope to Israel as he was in charge of public diplomacy for it. In an interview, Haiat mentioned that being a part of this visit was one of the most memorable moments of his diplomatic career and also said that he first met the pope when he was Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He praised the pope, calling him a symbol of peace, dialogue, co-existence as well as a bridge builder between the Christian and Jewish communities.
In an interview, Haiat said about the pope's visit: "Besides the political meetings he had and the prayers that he held in Israel, in my point of view the most significant event of his trip was his visit to the memorial wall in Mount Herzl for the terror victims of Israel." ...

No comments: