Vatican City, May 11, 2009 / 08:51 am
On Saturday, the Holy Father traveled to the town of Madaba, Jordan where he blessed the cornerstone of the University of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Madaba is a town famous for the "Map of Madaba," a floor mosaic of a sixth-century Byzantine church, discovered in 1896. It shows a map of the Holy Land along with travel suggestions to reach Jerusalem by passing through 150 localities, as well as a detailed description of the city.
The Pope traveled through the Christian quarter of the town by popemobile to the site where the University of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is being constructed. After blessing the cornerstone of the building, he addressed those present commending those promoting the institution for "their courageous confidence in good education as a stepping-stone for personal development and for peace and progress in the region."
"While assimilating their own heritage, young Jordanians and other students from the region will be led to a deeper knowledge of human cultural achievements, will be enriched by other viewpoints, and formed in comprehension, tolerance and peace," he said.