Update

The embarressment caused by the sheikh who's unscheduled tirade at the conference last night has been condemned by the Vatican and Israel. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084738.html

And the Israeli paper Haaretz carries a scathing appraisal of the pope's speech at the Holocaust memorial. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084827.html Even the Jerusalem Post stepped up it's attack on the Vatican http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1242029498309&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

This morning I went out to do an errand - buy some stoles specially made for the papal Mass (made in Thailand by the way). It's pretty cheap - 100 shekels (23 US$) each and several of the guys here wanted it. But I had to walk up to the Notre Dame Centre in the New City (where the sheikh's tirade took place) but all the offices were closed. In fact most parts of the Christian Quarter if the Old City was closed. There were actually 4 barracades at the New Gate! Tonnes of soldiers everywhere. The latin patriarchate which is directly inside the New Gate is totally closed off because the pope will be there to pray the regina coeli and have lunch there.

There're also lots of soldiers on our street; and on the rooftops especially at the Omarriya School directly opposite our monastery because it looks into the Dome of the Rock mosque where the pope is visiting this morning.

This evening I'll be travelling to Bethlehem and staying overnight so that I can join the papal Mass there in the morning. That means no Wed. lunch talk and Wed. evening class. Instead I'll be in Bethlehem praying for you all.