Tune into Salt + Light Television for the next seven days as Pope Benedict XVI journeys to the Holy Land. Our live coverage begins Friday morning at 7:30am ET as the Holy Father arrives at the Queen Alia airport in the Jordanian capital, Amman. If you miss the live events, you can catch highlights from the trip weekday evenings on Zoom at 7pm and 11pm ET, just before Catholic Focus. For full programming times, including live and repeat coverage, visit our Apostolic Voyage to the Holy Land page. What should we expect during this trip? The Holy Father shed some light on this at the end of his Wednesday General Audience, when he shared a message to the people of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories:

My dear friends, this Friday I leave Rome for my Apostolic Visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. I wish this morning to take the opportunity through this radio and television broadcast to greet all the peoples of those lands. I am eagerly looking forward to being with you and to sharing with you your aspirations and hopes as well as your pains and struggles. I will be coming among you as a pilgrim of peace. My primary intention is to visit the places made holy by the life of Jesus, and, to pray at them for the gift of peace and unity for your families, and all those for whom the Holy Land and the Middle East is home. Among the many religious and civic gatherings which will take place over the course of the week, will be meetings with representatives from the Muslim and Jewish communities with whom great strides have been made in dialogue and cultural exchange. In a special way I warmly greet the Catholics of the region and ask you to join me in praying that the visit will bear much fruit for the spiritual and civic life of all who dwell in the Holy Land. May we all praise God for his goodness. May we all be people of hope. May we all be steadfast in our desire and efforts for peace.

Let us remember Pope Benedict in our prayers in the coming days, for a fruitful and safe journey!