Amman, Jordan, May 9, 2009 / 02:52 am
Standing on the mountain where Moses was shown the Promised Land, Pope Benedict XVI said “It is appropriate that my pilgrimage should begin on this mountain,” which should remind all Christians to “undertake a daily exodus from sin and slavery to life and freedom.”
Mount Nebo, where tradition holds that Moses climbed to see the Promised Land before he died, was the scene of a prayer service and the beginning of Pope Benedict's Holy Land pilgrimage earlier this morning.
A crowd of about 50 dignitaries, Franciscan religious brothers and sisters, and a handful of bishops gathered in the remains of a third-century church as the Holy Father led the ceremony.
Speaking to the group, Pope Benedict noted the fittingness of starting his pilgrimage “where Moses contemplated the Promised Land from afar.”
“The magnificent prospect which opens up from the esplanade of this shrine invites us to ponder how that prophetic vision mysteriously embraced the great plan of salvation which God prepared for his People,” he said.