Upon the invitation of His Majesty King Abdullah, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI will begin a four-day visit to Jordan on 8 May.

King Abdullah and the Pope, during his first papal visit to the Kingdom, will discuss relations between Jordan and the Vatican, and issues related to the promotion interfaith dialogue and coexistence.

The Pope will deliver a speech upon his arrival at the airport.

During the trip, he will visit the Lady of Peace Centre, the Hashemite Museum and Al Hussein Ben Talal Mosque where he will meet a number of Islamic scholars, diplomatic officials and heads of universities.

He will visit the Ancient Basilica of the Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo and will bless the cornerstone of University of Madaba, built by the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Benedict also will celebrate the Vespers in the Greek Melkite Cathedral of St. George in Amman, as well as a commemorative mass to be held in the Amman International Stadium. He will also visit the Baptism site where he will bless the foundation stones of the Latin and Greek Melkite churches.

The Pope will conclude his visit by participating in Private Holy Mass in the Chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature.

His Holiness Pope Paul VI paid the first papal visit to Jordan in 1964, and His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited Jordan in 2000, during which he met with His Majesty King Abdullah and visited a number of religious and archaeological sites.