Pope to visit hot spots

From wire services

Leaving a message of inter-religious harmony in Jordan, Pope Benedict XVI ventures to more contentious terrain today as his journey in Jesus' footsteps takes him across the modern political and religious minefields of Israel and the West Bank.

So far the 82-year-old pontiff's pilgrimage, his first to the Middle East, has gone smoothly. Tougher audiences lie ahead.

The next five days will test Benedict's ability to navigate some obvious pitfalls. Here are some opportunities and would-be trouble spots the pope faces.

Holocaust memorial

Jews will listen carefully not only to Benedict's prepared remarks at Israel's Holocaust memorial but also to his response to Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau during today's ceremony. The tenor of Catholic-Jewish relations, lifted by John Paul's visit in 2000, will depend to an extent on what Benedict says.

Jerusalem tug of war

When Benedict's helicopter touches down today in East Jerusalem, he will step into a turf battle. The helipad is in the part of Jerusalem claimed by Palestinians as the future capital of a Palestinian state. Israel considers Jerusalem its "undivided" capital.

Shadow of the wall

Coming and going from Bethlehem on Wednesday, Benedict will move through a checkpoint in the towering concrete wall Israel has built to separate itself from much of the West Bank. For Palestinians, the wall is a symbol of Israeli occupation. Israel calls it a barrier against suicide bombers.

In any case, the wall will be visible in television and photographic images of the pope, and hard for him to avoid mentioning.