ISRAEL: JERUSALEM: POPE JOHN PAUL II - FINAL MASS (2)

(26 Mar 2000) Natural Sound

Pope John Paul II gave the final Mass in his tour of the holy land on Sunday, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.

During the service, attended by clerics from the various Christian sects which act as joint custodians of the church, the Pope sank to his knees in front of the stone where tradition holds Christ's dead body was anointed by mourners.

He knelt again in prayer inside the enclosure over the traditional site of Jesus' tomb, pressing his lips to the stone.

Many Christian believers claim that it was here, on the site of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, that Jesus Christ was crucified and buried and later rose from the dead.

The Church was a fitting location for the Pope's final mass in his six day tour of the holy land, a trip designed to allow the Pontiff to walk in Jesus' footsteps.

Clerics from a variety of Christian sects looked on as the Pope, deep in prayer, sank to his knees in front of the stone where tradition says Christ's dead body was anointed by mourners.

Later in the ceremony, his Holiness again knelt down inside the enclosure over the traditional site of Jesus' tomb.

After the Mass and Holy Communion, the Pope gave a final blessing to the Christian faithful of Jerusalem.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The Lord be with you and also with you."
SUPER CAPTION: Pope John Paul II

Before leaving however, he returned to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre one more time to worship with more of the faithful.

After the service, he held a final meeting with Christian leaders - the last event before his departure for Israel's international airport outside Tel Aviv, where Prime Minister Ehud Barak was to see him off.

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