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Early on Saturday morning, January 4, 1964, Pope Paul VI boarded a jet plane, painted the Vatican colors of yellow and white, for his journey to the Holy Land as a pilgrim. The special flight cover and First Day Covers all bear the time of 9:00 A.M., but this could be the opening time of the Post Office and the Special Flight could have taken off before this, with the Special Flight Covers marked with the Post Office's opening time. As the plane left Rome and passed near or over inter-vening capitals of countries, from the plane Pope Paul sent messages of greeting to King Paul at Athens, Greece, as well as to Archbishop Makarios at Nicosia, Cyprus, to General Fouad Chehab, President of the Republic of Lebanon at Beyrouth and to President Mohammed Amine Hafez of the Arab Republic of Syria at Damascus. At the Amman Airport the sky was overcast and the weather was raw and cold, causing the airport to be closed for a short time that Saturday morning because of low visibility. King Hussein of Jordan was at the Amman Airport with dozens of government and church officials, and a crowd of 50,000 Jordanians, awaiting the arrival of Pope Paul VI. Climbing to the control tower, King Hussein talked with the pilot of the papal plane discussing the flight pattern for the landing. A Jordanian Army jet met the papal flight at the Jordan frontier. The clouds began to lift and the weather improved sufficiently for a safe landing. The gangway was rolled to the exit hatch, from which emerged His Holiness, Pope Paul VI, to be greeted by the cheers of "Vive le Pape" and "Baba I Baba I". At the foot of the gangway the Pope and King exchanged greetings and handshakes, then proceeding to a platform facing the Terminal Building. The Jordanian Army Band played national anthems. From the platform they proceeded along a red carpet to a reception room in the Terminal Building, where private conversations were held, after greetings had been exchanged between the visitor and the welcoming dignitaries. Then the motorcade proceeded slowly through the throng of Moslems and Christians who crowded about to touch the robes of His Holiness. The gaily decorated streets of Amman were lined with 200,000 cheering Jordanians, through which the motorcade passed on its way to Jerusalem. It stopped at the Emir Abdullah Bridge over the Jordan River, where Pope Paul was greeted by the Governor of Jerusalem, the Mayor of Jerusalem and the Mayor of Jericho. King Hussein had followed the motorcade in a helicopter and was circling overhead. Pope Paul went down the steps to the Jordan River, and with water from the river blessed the crown of more than 200,000 assembled to welcome him. The next stop was at Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, where the Pope visited the Franciscan monastery and prayed at the church built over the site of the grave of Lazarus, whom Christ raised from the dead on that spot. At the Damascus gate leading into Jerusalem a tremendous crowd had assembled in a square to welcome the Pope, overflowing. the protective barriers. The Pope had intended to deliver an address here, but because of the lateness of the hour, postponed the speech until two days later on the occasion of the visit of the Governor and Mayor of Jerusalem. His Holiness went to the Via Dolorosa, walking to the seventh station and entered the chapel there to pray. He proceeded along the way and into the Holy Sepulchre Church, stopping at the site of the Crucifixion within the Basilica, and there celebrated a special Mass prepared for that occasion. At the end of Mass Pope Paul descended the stairs, past the stone of Unction into the Holy Sepulchre itself, and prayed in solitude. Over the Holy Sepulchre or the Tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, Emperor Constantine had erected an edifice completed in 336. The Holy Sepulchre had been excavated so that it stood separate from the rock that had surrounded it, and a dome 65 feet in diameter (in the first church) stood over it. From this dome the church had extended east 250 feet embracing Calvary on its south aisle, while an atrium and entrance brought its total length to 475 feet. This was destroyed by fire in 614 during the Persian invasion under Chosroes. The second basilica was finished through the efforts of Abbot Modestus and the Patriarch of Alexandria, only to be destroyed by the Mohammetans in 1010. Smaller churches were erected over the Holy Sepulchre and Calvary by 1048. The Crusaders incorporated these churches into their basilica which was completed in 1168, similar in plan to that of Constantine. Fire partially destroyed this church in 1803. A new church, designed by the Greek architect, Commenes, was built at the expense of the Greeks and Armenians and dedicated in 1810. France, Russia and Turkey financed the dome, which was finished in 1868, under which is the Tomb of Christ, enclosed in a monument built in 1810, of Palestinian breccia, a red and yellow stone resembling marble. At the residence of the Apostolic Delegate on the Mount of Olives Pope Paul received many church dignitaries, later visiting His Beatitude Benedictos, Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. The same night he descended the Mount of Olives through the Garden of the Church of All Nations, which stands over the Rock of Agony, and spent a Holy Hour devoted to prayer. Shortly before midnight he left the church and retired for the night at the Apostolic Delegation. Early on January 5, after Sunday Mass, the Pope rode north from Jerusalem to Jenin, being greeted on the way by officials and a crowd at Ramallah and Nablus as well as at Jenin. Here he crossed over into Israel to visit sites connected with the Life of Jesus Christ, among which were the shrines of Nazareth, especially the Church of the Annunciation and the Virgin's Well (depicted on the stamp). The Virgin's Well or St. Mary's Well stands at the southwest limits of Nazareth, and was probably one of the reasons that settlers founded Nazareth. A picture in the Catholic Encyclopedia (Vol. X, p.725) shows a view of the well and its enclosure, but the wall in front of the shelter at that time had not been built up to the height shown on the stamp. Four tiers of stone can be seen in this wall, one of which is apparently the footing, while the picture on the stamp shows five tiers to the right of the step. The Catholic Encyclopedia picture is before 1911 and the other more recent. Because of the name of the well, one must presume that the Blessed Virgin Mary came here to draw water for the Holy Family in the years of their residence at Nazareth. The evening of January 5 Pope Paul met His Beatitude Athenagoras, the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch, on his return to Jerusalem, and they exchanged greetings. On the morning of January 6 (Epiphany), Pope Paul went to Bethlehem to visit the Manger of the Infant Jesus in the grotto under the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem. Since Epiphany is the feast celebrating the revelation of Jesus to the gentiles (a Holy Day of Obligation in many countries but not the USA) Paul VI offered the Mass of Epiphany, after which he crossed over to the Church of St. Catherine and delivered a message to the world, proclaiming the True Church of Christ, and expressing charity towards all who are not members of the True Church. The Church of St. Mary of the Nativity stands over the traditional site of the birth of Christ, surrounded on the northwest and Southwest by convents of the Latin, Creek and Armenian churches. The Basilica is substantially the work of Constantine from about 330 A.D., with additions and modifications by Justinian (527-565). Underneath it is the grotto of the Nativity. The Church runs east-west & the Chapel of the Nativity is situated under the choir and runs in the same direction. At the east end of the Chapel is a silver star with the inscription:- "HIC DE VIRGIN! MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS EST" (Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary). Nearby is the Chapel of the Crib or Manger. Returning to Jerusalem, Pope Paul met again with Patriarch Athenagoras and they issued a joint statement of mutual charity and hope of further understanding. Later a statement was issued to His Beatitude Yeguishe Derderian. Armenian Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, expressing charity and hope of further communications tending toward understanding. To the governor and mayor of Jerusalem he gave the message of thanks and blessing which he had intended to deliver on the evening of January 4. To the Catholic Heirarchy and clergy of the Holy Land he urged selfless charity toward all. His return to Amman was greeted by cheering throngs. At the Airport King Hussein was on hand to bid him farewell. After the Band played national anthems, King Hussein promised to work for peace, to continue to guard the sacred places of Christianity, and hoped that the Pope had reaped the spiritual benefits of his pilgrimage. Pope Paul thanked Hussein for his hospitality, prayed for charity and called down the blessing of God on the King and people of Jordan. Gifts were exchanged, the crowd cheered, and jets roared overhead. Pope Paul ascended the gangway and again blessed the crowd. King Hussein rode along the runway beside the plane until the papal Jet took off. From the plane Pope Paul again sent thanks to the control tower to the Jordanian King and people. Three hours later the jet landed in Rome and Pope Paul returned to the Vatican. (Cf. His Holiness Pope Paul VI, Historic Pilgrimage to Jordan, the Holy Land- Ministry of Information Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, National Press, Amman. CF. Catholic Encyclopedia- Holy Sepulchre, Bethlehem, Nazareth) For the Pilgrimage of Pope Paul VI to the Holy Land, four stamps were issued on Jan.4, 1964, the day of His Holiness' departure from Rome (15 L. Pope Paul at prayer; 25 L. Church of Nativity, Bethlehem; 70 L. Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre; 160 L. Virgin's Well at Nazareth). FD Covers were canceled with a slogan cancel:- POPE PAUL V// FOR THE SAKE OF UNITY AMONG CHRISTIANS/AND FOR WORLD PEACE/GOES AS AN APOSTOLIC PILGRIM TO THE HOLY LAND. To the right of the slogan is a single circle cancel with the papal coat of arms extending from the top into the circle; within:- POSTE VATICANEf DIE EM/SSIONIE* 4 Genn 64 - 9. Special Flight Covers carried on the plane were backstamped AMMAN.AIRPORT 4 Jan 64 and JERUSALEM 4 Jan-64. Jordan issued four stamps commemorating this visit (FDC 4 Jan 64) canceled at Jerusalem. On each stamp Pope Paul in tiara is at left and King Hussein at right, with each value having a different scene between the two portraits:- 15 f Al-Aska Mosque, Jerusalem (formerly the Church of Our Lady of Jerusalem, work of Justinian); 35 f The Dome of the Rock, a mosque which stands on the site of the Temple of Jerusalem, built by Solomon, and rebuild successively by Zorobabel and Herod, leveled by the Roman about 70 A.D under Titus; 50 f The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem; SO f Church of Nativity, Bethlehem. Israel used two commemorative cancels, circle formed by words. On the bottom half is PEREGRINATIO PAPAS PAULI VI (Pilgrimage of Pope Paul VI) and on the top half Hebrew characters presumably corresponding to the Latin. Across the center are two lines of Hebrew script, followed by JERUSALEM 5.1.1964 on one cancel and on the other NAZARETH 5.1.1964. A fifth line appears to be arabic. Covers of the return flight of Pope Paul were canceled at Amman Airport:- 6-Jan-64. They carry meter cancellation on the back 6-1-1964 with the slogan cancel joined to the regular meter cancel double dating circle. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 375 - 378 Date Issued - 04 January 1964 Face Value - 15 l, 25 l, 70 l, 160 l Perforations - 14 Printer - The Italian State Printing Works |
| (From Vatican Notes Volume XVI, Number 1, July - August 1967, Pages 3 - 5) |
