On May 26, 2014, the Pope visited Jerusalem. During his official visit, Pope Francis came to the Western Wall, where, as is customary, he placed a note between the stones of the Wall.
At this moment, the Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, said to him:
“For two thousand years, we suffered humiliation and great sorrow, but every day we prayed, ‘Next year in Jerusalem.’ We were privileged to witness a great miracle – to return after exile and a terrible Holocaust… Even in the darkest times, we continued to believe. For too many years, faith was a source of division and pain. From here, this sacred place, I call upon the faithful of all religions – to fight hatred and the rising tide of antisemitism. Let us raise our voices in prayer for peace.”
At the end of his visit, Pope Francis wrote in the Western Wall’s guest book in his own handwriting:
“How happy I was when they told me we’re going to the House of God. Our feet are standing on the ground of Jerusalem – ‘Our feet stood within your gates, O Jerusalem…’ This visit gives a feeling of joy. I am filled with emotion and say thank you to my elder brothers. I came here to pray and asked God to grant peace, and for there to be the goodness of peace – ‘And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks’ (Isaiah).”
