Pope ends trip with plea for forgiveness at Western Wall by Richard Boudreaux and Tracy Wilkinson Los Angeles Times March 26, 2000 JERUSALEM Pope John Paul II ended an emotional journey through the Holy Land on Sunday with a dra matic act of contrition at Judaism’s most sacred site, the Western Wall, and with tributes to all three faiths that share this troubled region. Standing in solemn solitude, the pope prayed and touched the wide beige stones of the ancient wall, where he deposited a signed plea for God’s forgiveness for centuries of Catholic torment of the Jewish people. It was a searing image that many Israelis said signaled a new era in Jewish-Christian relations. It came on the final day of the pope's vveeklong pilgrimage, which con cluded with a Mass at the traditional site where Christians believe Jesus res urrected and a visit to the hilltop mosque where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven. A tired, frail but uplifted pope re turned to Rome late Sunday, closing his 91st trip in a two-decade papacy. He had described it as a lifelong dream to follow Jesus' path from his birth to his crucifixion. It was a grueling jour ney aimed at promoting peace and rec- onciliation. but often forced the pope to sidestep the political battles of the Middle East. Israeli officials hailed the visit as a heartfelt endorsement of the Jewish state by one of the world's most im portant moral authorities. The pope’s actions here, including a moving cer emony at Israel's Holocaust memorial last week, were seen as the embodi ment of a fundamental transformation in historically tortured Jewish-Chris No nostalgia for the old Soviet order upcoming Russian election by Dave Montgomery Knight-Ridder Tribune March 21, 2000 This article was written before last Sunday's presidential election, which was won by Vladimir Putin. MOSCOW For the first time since the collapse of Communism nearly a decade ago, Russia’s presidential election on March 26 will involve voters who have little memory of the Soviet era, other than blurry child hood recollections or stories passed around the dinner table by their par ents. Russians between the ages of 18 “One has and 24 represent about 15 percent of to look at the electorate. And while they cling what’s gone to imported Western materialism on before,” from Cher CDs to Tommy Hilfiger said 24- pullovers and have no nostalgia for year-old ac* the old order, they see in Acting Presi- tor Sergei dent Vladimir Putin a “firm hand” that G 1 azk ov, can restore Russia’s lost pride. removing Among young men, the most per- the earplugs vasive political issue is the Chechen from Ms Russian youth smoke cigarettes at the Manhattan Express nightclub in Pskov, Russia. For ar, u e prospe 8 ® Walkman tn first time since the collapse of Communism nearly a decade ago, Russia’s presidential dymg has yet to to election will involve Russian youth who have little or no the Soviet era. passioned resistance that character- register n«S ized much of America’s youth during opinion, “Mistakes were made—not the Vietnam era. just in the economy, but in the moral Many are like Alexander Kruchkov, h#ck .our a 20-year-old college student who las . people.” no taste for combat, but also no de- Nevertheless, support for Putin is sire to challenge the government. "I far from unanimoos. do not support the war,” he said, “but “I thinkhe’s like a puppet,” says if they tell me they need me, I will go Kruchkov. ; “He’s like a doll in without hesitation.” the hands of some- Either because of youthful indiffer- ope tee|k& in power.” ence or the cynicism instilled by the But analysts see a worrisome sign prolonged economic and social ear-, in number of bulence that has followed the collapse young Kuisiahs poor, of Communism, young vot “ ‘ a strong streak of politi During parliamentary el December, their group pi lowest turnout of any ag< and is likely to do so ag; forthcoming presidential' Like the rest of the elech ever, Russia’s young vi whelmingly support Putin, is more than 20 years yot Boris Yeltsin, the ailing, w 1 leader he replaced. Foi tough, athletic looking pi cratic era has ushered in a middle fers the same kind of youl class, and those in it pursue college that drew young Americs diplomas, well paying jobs, travel, F. Kennedy in die early 1 and good times on weekends. Putin’s young supportei On a recent Saturday night, several he’s a leader who can res hundred flocked to the Manhattan ity and free their country froi v Express in downtown Moscow to rupt influences of the last decade. ' Only about eight percent of young await the 1 a.m. performance of the While nearly all prefer the trappings, people support Putin’s Commimist Russian rock-group Agatha Christie. tian relations. Some Palestinians, too, saw affirma tion of their national dreams in the pope’s presence, especially in the sym pathy he voiced for refugees. But in contrast to the Israeli reaction, Muslim leaders complained that their agenda received short shrift. The pope spent the final day of his pilgrimage inside Jerusalem’s walled Old City, saluting the three religions “God of ourfathers, you chose Abraham and his descendants to bring your Name to the Nations . We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these chil dren of yours to suffer and, asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant. ” that sprang from Abraham: Christian ity, Judaism, and Islam. He implored the faithful to “live in harmony and co operation, and bear witness to the One God in acts of goodness and human solidarity.” Under a resplendent sun that bathed the limestone buildings that give Jerusa lem its unique coloring, Pope John Paul came to the Western Wall, all that re mains of the Second Jewish Temple de- and frce mocracy* and don’t want a dic tatorship or confronta tion with the West, many hope Putin will re-establish Russia’s in- fluence on the woild strayed by the Romans in 70 C.E. In a brief, subdued ceremony, he joined Rabbi Michael Melchior, the Is raeli minister for diaspora affairs, in reading Psalm 122. which prays for peace in Jerusalem: “Peace within your wall, serenity within your palaces." Then the head of the Roman Catho lic Church, with the aid of his cane, took 97 slow steps to the wall, where he stood alone in prayer. The pope placed Signed: Joannes Paulus II -letter placed in crevice of Western Wall, Jerusalem, by Pope John Paul II a signed message in a crevice hetw'een the rough-hewn stones. It is a common practice for observant Jews to deposit prayers or pleas to Got! at the wall, but the pope's gesture was unexpected. He blessed his offering, making a sign of the cross, and reached out to touch the wall again as he prayed for a few more seconds. Melchior finally stepped up to escort him away. “God of our fathers,” the message challenger, Gennady Zyuganov, less half that of the electorate at large. Free of Communism, young Ru~ stans are more independent, better educated, and more enlightened than their parents and grandparents, who waited for hours in food lines and al ways looked over their shoulders. But, in the eyes of disapproving el ders, they also represent Russia’s “Me Generation,” greedy for the good life with no accompanying sense of re sponsibility. “Contemporary youth is very dif ferent from what it was before,” said Igor Cochen, an expert in sociology and youth psychology. “They realize that neither the state nor their parents ’ will give them everything they need. If they want to do anything, they have to do it themselves.” Like their counterparts in the United States and Europe, young Rus sians yearn for the comforts that eluded their parents and grandparents during the Soviet days. The demo- said, “you chose Abraham and his de scendants to bring your Name to the Nations. We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer and, asking your for giveness. we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant." Signed: “Joannes Paulus II The message is a repetition of a Pope John Paul II places a note in the stones during his visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Sunday was the last day of his six-day trip. prayer uttered in the pope’s sweeping March 12 apology to Jews and other people for centuries of persecution and hatred. Officials later moved the note to the archives of Yad Vashem. Melchior was clearly moved. “This is the beginning of a new era,” he said. The "relationship of humiliation" be tween Jews and the Christian church, with religion used to spread "hatred. India’s decision to test nuclear arms in 1998 an act that was quickly followed by archrival Pa kistan jeopardized efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons around the globe, Clinton said in an anti-nuclear appeal to a joint session of parliament that is a focal point of his five-day visit to promote KRT PHOTO BY YURI GRIPAS 1 peaCe Smoke hung over the bar like rush hour smog in Los Angeles. Women 'far outnumbered men on the dance floor, often dancing with each other or by themselves. Yet the glitter of Moscow nightlife is hardly illustrative of conditions fac ing all of Russia’s young people. In a country where at least a third of the population lives below the poverty line, millions of Russia’s youth struggle to survive and live in broken homes or on the street. By some esti mates, as many as one million chil dren are homeless. Drug addiction and alcoholism are rampant, although accurate statistics are hard to come by. Many are victims of abuse by drunken parents. In the northwestern town of Luga,>Vera Ivanova, 17, ca sually talked of her turbulent home life, as she played hooky from sehool. “Life is horrible,” she said, describ ing how her alcoholic father often beats her stepmother. She said he also abuses her and her five brothers and sisters. Nevertheless, she vowed to finish high school, get a sales job, marry, and raise a family. “I want a husband who will under stand me,” she said, standing on a street corner in falling snow. “He doesn’t have to be good looking. The beauty should be in his soul.” death, and bloodshed,” is finished, he said. But as Pope John Paul read the Psalm, a man praying at the public sec tion of the wall, only about 30 yards away, stuck a finger in his left ear as though to block out the distraction. And at the same ti me, another observant Jew began screaming at the pope and was hauled away bv police. In all, seven Jews and three Palestinians were ar- rested Sunday in protests related to the pope's visit. Even as his entourage threaded its way through the labyrinthine Old City, the pope was confronted again by politics and competing claims to Jerusalem as capital. Before appearing at the Western Wall, the pope visited the adjacent hill top compound known to Muslims as Haram as-Sharif. This is the site of the Clinton implores India to stop building nuclear weapons by Christopher Marquis Knight-Ridder Tribune March 22, 2000 NEW DELHI, India President Clinton implored India on Wednes day, March 22, to abandon its pur suit of nuclear weapons, asserting that a nation’s greatness today de pends on the strength of its moral example, not on its military might. “Great nations with broad hori zons must consider whether actions advance or hinder what Nehru called the larger cause of humanity,” Clinton said, invoking the memory of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of an independent India. “ But if India’s nuclear test shook the world, India’s leadership for nonproliferation can certainly move the world,” Clinton urged. Although Indian leaders justify their nuclear program on security grounds with eyes on Pakistan and China, primarily they also plainly take pride in having joined an elite club of nuclear powers. It showed as lawmakers who had greeted Clinton with a boisterous standing ovation sat solemnly when the commander of the world’s most sophisticated nuclear arsenal urged them to give up their own embry onic cache. When Clinton said that “only In dia can determine its own interests,” they interrupted him with pointed applause The tone had been set the night before when India’s president, Kocheril Raman Narayanan, used his state dinner toast to rebuke Clinton. “The danger is not from us who have declared solemnly that we will not be the first to use nuclear weap ons, but rather it is from those who refuse to make any such commit ment,” Narayanan said. He meant Pakistan, partitioned from India in 1947 and India’s foe in two wars and endless skirmish ing since then. Pakistan, with its vastly weaker conventional forces, has refused to make a no-first-strike pledge on nuclear weapons. It sup ports Islamic militants who are stag- golden Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third-holiest shrine. As the pope arrived, a huge Pales tinian flag fluttered and hundreds of bal loons in Palestinian national colors floated high in the sky. Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their capital, while Israel claims the entire, undivided city. The pope met with a contingent of senior imams, and politics was on their minds. Sheikh Mohammad Said Al- Jamal shook his finger at the pontiff and demanded he speak out more forcefully on behalf of displaced and imprisoned Palestinians. The grand mufti for Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Sheikh Ekrima Said Sabri, asked him to help end “the Is raeli occupation of Jerusalem,” a city “eternally bonded” to Islam. As he did throughout delicate mo ments of the trip, the pope kept his dis tance from the essential dispute. He told Sabri that Jerusalem, as “the Holy City par excellence,” is common patri mony to all three faiths. The pope later arrived at Christendom’s most sacred shrine, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church, which many Christians believe is the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, is an architec tural hodgepodge occupied by six Christian denominations, 'whose battles over territory and status quo on the pre mises are legendary. The pope, in a Latin Mass, urged the priests to over come their differences. He knelt before the Stone of Unc tion, where Jesus’ body is said to have been washed before burial, and climbed deep into the bowels of the church to the purported site of Jesus’ tomb. He kissed the stone crypt. The church, the pope said, was the “most hallowed place on Earth” and site of “the central event of human history." ing incursions into Indian-held Kashmir, where some 40 Sikhs were massacred Monday night, March 20. India blames Pakistan, despite its denials, for the raid. The rebuff of Clinton’s peace making was not categorical, how ever. India has accepted his invita tion to discuss a ban on producing fissile material used to make bombs. While declining to sign the Com prehensive Test Ban Treaty, India has pledged not to test weapons fur ther. That policy is similar to Washington’s in the wake of the U.S. Senate’s refusal to ratify the test-ban treaty last year. Despite sharp differences on nuclear weapons, Clinton is prov- “But if India’s nuclear test shook the world, India's leadership for non proliferation can certainly move the world. ” -President Bill Clinton, during visit to India last week ing an endearing guest. The first U.S. president to visit since Jimmy Carter, he is winsome merely by his presence. On Wednesday. March 22, he toured the Tag Mahal, the most majestic mausoleum in the Moslem world, before arriving in Jailer, the picturesque desert state of the land of the rajas. At every turn, he has sought to erase decades of suspicion born of a Cold War estrangement in which India tilted toward the Soviet Union and the United States supported Pa kistan as an anti-communist ally. Further, he has lauded India’s democratic tradition, religious and ethnic diversity, economic promise, and tradition of moral leadership. The highlight of his trip so far, he told parliament, was a visit to the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi, the nonviolent crusader for India’s in dependence from Britain. Without the teaching of Gandhi, who was emulated by the Rev. Mar tin Luther King Jr., “the great civil rights revolution in the United States would never have succeeded on a peaceful plane,” Clinton said.
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