Seeking the Pope in Jerusalem

With preparations fit for a king,

or maybe a US president,

pope in jerusalem

Pope Francis arrived in Jerusalem, Israel.

pope in Jerusalem

The man wearing white shorts and I waited around to get a photo,

but this was as close as we came to seeing a Pope.

We talked long enough at New Gate for me to find out

that he was an Iranian studying physics in the US.

I cannot believe I forgot to ask him what his plans are after he graduates.

My plan to walk home through the Old City failed.

pope in Jerusalem

Inside and outside Jaffa Gate was shut tight, closed to the public.

image street musician

Pretty lonely night, it was much quieter than usual all around.

Then Monday morning nice and early,

security for pope

streets were shut.

security for pope

This is a one-way street, want to guess which way?

security for pope

Traffic was going out any which way, as this double bus blocked the road.

Credit to its driver who could maneuver that huge thing there.

security for pope

But it worked, and this main street was clear of traffic.

security for pope

And then King George Street,

where the Pope was going to meet the chief rabbis, was closed to traffic.

pope in Israel to meet chief rabbis

Though that meeting was not going to be for another hour,

these guys seemed serious,

and no way was I or anyone else going to get by.

pope in Israel

I just wanted to go to Jewish Agency Building down the street,

but we had to walk around a different way.

Pope in Jerusalem

Security had to stand in hot sun all day,

pope in Jerusalem

but we all had to walk around past this line of sitting cars.

pope in Jerusalem

Finally, I did get to here from there.

pope in Jerusalem

After the Pope and Rabbis and the very select guests left,

the Heichal Shlomo lobby was much easier to enter.

Then there was the area around Beit Hanassi, the President’s House.

Again I had to walk all around to get to where I needed to go.

pope in Jerusalem

Residents on the street had no parking for days.

 I arrived to the spot where in May 2009,

I had been able to see the Pope’s limo leaving,

bus blocking street

but this time a special reinforced bus was blocking the road.

pope in Jerusalem

Security was so tight that this is as close as I could get.

pope in jerusalem

This man was holding a sign “Baruch haba Chaver,” Welcome my Friend.”

Pope Francis was given a red carpet welcome,

but certainly many sighed with relief when his visit ended

and he flew safely back to the Vatican.

yom yerushalyim, white nights. lilah lavan

But do not think all will be quiet for long.

לילה לבן

Tonight is White Night,

and music will blast all night in Gan Sacher, Sacher Park,

as Yom Yerushalyim, Jerusalem Day

celebrations begin at sunset.

0 thoughts on “Seeking the Pope in Jerusalem

  • May 29, 2014 at 8:07 pm
    Permalink

    it is amazing to me the that Israel gave the pope such a red carpet welcome after all the destruction and persecution to our people caused by the church in the name of G-d, what a farce, anyway I live in Wolfson across the street from Gan Sacher the music blasted until 2:45 am, the pictures are great as usual

    Reply
    • June 1, 2014 at 12:17 am
      Permalink

      It was quite a welcome the Pope received. 2:45 was early, they were planning on one band to start at 4:30 am! Thank you so much for commenting!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.