JERUSALEM -- As Pope John Paul II prepares to leave Monday on a tour of the Holy Land, observers are putting a political spin on his historic visit.

During his weeklong visit to Jerusalem, other holy cities and to Jordan, the pope plans to meet separately with Jordan's King Abdullah II, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and several mayors in the region.

The pope also is scheduled to visit several sacred sites, including Jerusalem's Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism; the Haram al-Sharif, the third holiest site in Islam; the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Christianity's holiest site; and Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial.

Many will be watching to see if John Paul chooses Yad Vashem Thursday to make a direct papal apology for the church's public silence during the Holocaust.

Full Story: http://CNN.com/2000/WORLD/meast/03/18/pope.jerusalem/index.html