The Pope will visit Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea on a tour that will cover 11 cities and towns, spanning nearly 18,000 km (11,185 miles) across 18 flights.
Jerusalem's Municipality had worked with the Tourism and Interior Ministries to prepare for the event, with Mayor Moshe Lion extending his blessing to the Jerusalem Christian community.
Israel's Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office announced that the police would be working on a security plan to enable the church leaders to worship at the holy site in upcoming days.
The former nurse took her seat on the 13th-century Chair of St Augustine at Canterbury Cathedral before 2,000 guests, including heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Kate, and PM Starmer.
Dayan and the Pope discussed potential collaborations between the Vatican and Yad Vashem regarding Holocaust commemoration, documentation, and education.
Christian communities are opposing Lebanon’s involvement in the conflict while weighing whether Hezbollah’s weakening could open space for stronger state authority.
Pope Leo also addressed the situation in Lebanon, ravaged by a war between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, which was also a cause of "great concern."
RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: A Nigerian Christian leader told 'The Jerusalem Post’ that the Trump administration is forcing authorities to intervene in Islamist killings.
Khalloul extended an invitation to the right-wing American commentator in early February, hoping to shed light on the true experience of Christians in Israel, but Carlson had failed to respond.
Before sprinkling ashes on the heads of participants, a sign of mortality, the pope said the ashes could represent "the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war."
The Vatican announced that Michelangelo’s Last Judgment will undergo its first restoration in 30 years, while the Sistine Chapel remains open to visitors.
Longtime minister Steve Berger says private conversations with senior figures point to escalating pressure on Iran through tariffs, sanctions, and targeted military action.
Huckabee's post followed a January 17 statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, published on the Jerusalem Patriarchate’s website.