ASIA/JORDAN - Catholics gather to pray on Mount Nebo says Father Raymond Moussalli, Secretary of the Chaldean Bishops’ Residence in Jordan

Amman (Fides Service) - Many Jordanian Catholics went to pray on Mount Nebo, one of the places visited by Pope John Paul II during his landmark Jubilee Pilgrimage to the Holy Places in 2000, Father Raymond Moussalli Secretary of the Chaldean Bishops’ Residence in Amman told Fides: “The Holy Father had become a symbol of peace for all the people in the Middle East. As soon as it was announced that the Pope had died, the churches were filled with people. He was a man who changed the history of the Middle East with his witness of dialogue and peace. A large crowd of Catholics, particularly young people, as well as many Muslims gathered to pray for the Pope at the Ariha door on Mount Nebo, a place the Pope visited in 2000. Special Masses were celebrated for the Pope in every Catholic church in Jordan and church bells sounded the mourning bell. Many people, Christians and Muslims, sent message of sympathy to churches and to the Nunciature in Amman. Our country has announced three days of national mourning”. (AE) (Agenzia Fides 4/4/2005 righe 15 parole 156)