Papal trip: Pilgrimage and politics

By CNN's Jim Bitterman

VATICAN CITY (CNN) -- As in so many trips in the past, Pope John Paul II's trip to Greece, Syria and Malta can be viewed on multiple levels.

It is first and foremost, a simple pilgrimage. During several trips to the Middle East, the Pope has expressly travelled in the footsteps of Christ and his Apostles.

In this case he will be tracing the path of St. Paul.

In Greece, he will speak from the Athens hillside where Paul preached the gospel.

In Syria, he will visit a memorial to Paul and the spot along the city walls of Damascus where the apostle fled the city, and in Malta he will be on the island where Paul was shipwrecked.

Along the way, he will also stop at the tomb of John the Baptist and honour other Catholic Saints.

It is secondly, a voyage of evangelisation. As always on his trips, the Pope will be reaching out to Christians and non-Christians alike with his church's spiritual message.

Just as Paul was converted and then travelled on to convert others, so too will Pope John Paul spread the gospel along his way.

It is a trip that aims to reunite Christians. From the outset of his Pontificate the Pope has made it his aim to bring the Christian community closer together with the optimistic goal of ending the Great Schism -- the split that took place between the Church of Rome and Eastern churches in 1054.

In Greece it appears the Pope's reception by the Orthodox clergy will be chilly, and perhaps hostile by some extremists.

But later, in Damascus, Orthodox churchmen will be sharing centre stage with the Pope.

It is as well, a voyage of ecumenism. The Pope has always tried to open dialogues with other religions.

In Damascus, he will not only meet with Islamic leaders, but he will become the first Pope ever to set foot in a mosque when he visits John the Baptist's tomb which is located in a mosque.

It is at the same time an honour to be permitted to do so and a sign of respect that John Paul wants to do it. And finally, the trip, as every trip the Pope takes, will have political overtones.

Greek leaders want the Pope to come to demonstrate that he is welcome there and reaffirm the national commitment to freedom of religion.

In Syria, a Papal visit is a boost for President Bachar Al-Assad, the country's relatively new leader, and a chance to dramatise, when the Pope visits the abandoned Golan Heights town of Quneitra, the ongoing dispute between Syria and Israel over the possession of this strategic territory.

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Vatican

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