Omar Abboud, the Argentinean Muslim who will accompany Francis in the Holy Land, describes the Pope’s decision to have a Jew and Muslim accompany him as “one of the strongest gestures” the world has seen.

“It’s a long time since the world has had such a strong spiritual leader”, Omar Abboud, the Muslim from Buenos Aires who will accompany the Pope on his “pilgrimage of prayer” in the Holy Land, told me on the eve of the Francis’ departure for the Holy Land.

Jerusalem awaits Pope’s Francis’ arrival in the Holy Land tomorrow, amidst a sea of over one thousand Vatican and Israeli flags. The first port of call in the Pope’s Middle Eastern voyage will be Amman, followed by Bethlehem and finally the Holy City of the three monotheistic faiths. The white and gold drapes with the Holy See insignia adorn the Notre Dame Centre, the Christian neighbourhood and the Shuk marketplace and run around the walls of the Old City, until the King David and to Rehavia, up until the front of the presidential residence, where Shimon Peres lives.

When Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew meet in Jerusalem on May 25-26, 2014, they will recall the meeting of their predecessors Pope Paul IV and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras in the same city in 1964. In the midst of prayer and recollection in the Holy Places, the leaders of the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church will give thanks to God for the dramatic change in the relationship between their churches in the past fifty years. They will recall the prayer of the Lord for this disciples ‘that they all be one' (John 17:21).

In January 1964 Pope Paul VI embarked on his visit to Jesus’ homeland, where the great embrace with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras, took place. Here is the story of his historic trip.

Jerusalem’s Bishop Shomali said everyone is allowed to travel to Bethlehem for the Pope’s Mass, but people in Jerusalem are unhappy because security prevents them getting close to him.

Jordanians, inspired by the genuine welcoming wordings of their Monarch Abdullah II, of their official representatives and of different Christians entities operating in Jordan and motivated by the friendly and rewarding relationship between Jordan and the Holy See, rejoice to have the privilege of hosting for the fourth time the head of the Holy See, the Messenger of Truth and the guardian of St. Peter’s legacy.

On an upcoming trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis is expected to prioritize his visit with Palestinians, including a refugee camp, in a move interpreted by many as a 'recognition' of a future Palestinian state.

Many Christians in the Holy Land have had their hopes dashed: The Pope of the peripheries is about to arrive and they won’t get to see him.

On Pope Francis' first trip to the Holy Land, May 24-26, his agenda will focus on the search for Christian unity, particularly between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. But inevitably, in a region so rich in history and so fraught with conflict, he will address other urgent issues, including dialogue with Jews and Muslims, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the plight of the Middle East's shrinking Christian population.

The significance of where Jesus was believed to be baptized on the banks of the Jordan River beginning his public ministry is not lost on Arab Christians, deeply aware of their rich religious and cultural heritage.

Indeed, their Middle Eastern ancestors are counted among the world's earliest Christians and the guardians of the faith throughout the ages.