Pope Francis has announced his first international trip of his papacy, to one of the most troubled areas on earth.  The pontiff will travel to Holy Land, specifically to Jerusalem and to Bethlehem in the West Bank, as well as Amman, Jordan.

“In the climate of joy typical of this Christmas period, I would like to announce that from 24 to 26 May, God willing, I will carry out a pilgrimage to the Holy Land,” Pope Francis told crowds gathered in St Peter's Square.

The plan is to celebrated mass in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which is in Palestinian territory; and in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ was reputedly buried after the crucifixion. 

The symbolism is two-fold:  Pope Francis will meet with representatives of all Christian Churches in the Middle East in Jerusalem, a gesture of goodwill to churches that separated from Rome more than a thousand years ago.  He timed the announcement to fall on 5 January, the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople in 1964.  And he will encourage the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.