VZCZCXRO3276
RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHAM #1115/01 1331221
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131221Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5087
INFO RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 4165
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 6244
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1715
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 3044
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0011

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 001115 
 
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KIRF JO VT
SUBJECT: Pope's Visit Brings "Twitter", Tight Security, and Hopes 
for Tourism to Jordan 
 
Ref:  Amman 990 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: On May 11, the Pope concluded his four-day visit 
to Jordan, which took him to Christian and Islamic historical sites 
and included a mass attended by around 20,000 people. An increased 
security presence was seen throughout the city with a show of force 
from both the Jordanian Police and Army.  Most Jordanians welcomed 
the Pope's visit, though some still called for the Pope to formally 
apologize for comments he made against Islam in his speech at the 
University of Regensburg. Prince Ghazi (Special Advisor to King 
Abdullah) was particularly blunt in his welcome to the Pope by 
praising the Pope's "regret" for the speech, which offended Muslims. 
Jordan hopes the visit will boost its declining tourism numbers by 
attracting Christian pilgrims to the religious sites that were 
visited by the Pope. Queen Rania generated her own excitement over 
the trip by using "Twitter" for the first time to chronicle the 
events. End Summary. 
 
King Hopes For Palestinian Statehood 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) King Abdullah's welcoming remarks to the Pope focused on 
Muslim-Christian understanding as well as concerns over the Holy 
Land, including safeguarding the Holy City of Jerusalem as a "place 
of worship for all."  The King also stressed the necessity of a 
"negotiated settlement that fulfills the rights of Palestinians to 
freedom and statehood, and the right of Israelis to security." 
 
Prince Ghazi Thanks Pope for "Regret" over 2006 Remarks but 
Islamists Not Appeased 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Muslim Brotherhood protested the Pope's visit early on 
because of the Pope's 2006 lecture at the University of Regensburg 
where he quoted a Byzantine Emperor who equated Islam with violence. 
 In his address at the King Hussein Mosque to members of the 
diplomatic corps and religious leaders, Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad 
Bin Talal (the King's Personal Envoy and Special Advisor) surprised 
some audience members by using his welcoming remarks to the Pope to 
speak bluntly about "the hurt caused by this lecture to Muslims." 
Prince Ghazi further thanked the Pope for expressing "regret" over 
the incident.  Jordanian Islamist leaders, however, were not 
appeased and called for a clear apology. 
 
Arab Christians Flock to Jordan Amid Tight Security 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) An estimated 20,000 people attended the Pontifical Mass at a 
stadium in Amman on May 10.  Syrian, Lebanese, and Iraqi Christians 
present brought flags and banners to welcome the Pope.  Security was 
tight throughout Amman with a genuine show of force from both the 
Army and the police.  Trucks filled with soldiers were also seen 
throughout the city.  The stadium itself was filled with plain 
clothed police officers and the Jordanian Army interspersed itself 
between the police force to form a perimeter around the stage where 
the Pope spoke. 
 
Jordanians Use Mass to Highlight Hospitality to Iraqi Refugees 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In his welcome, Monsignor Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch 
of Jerusalem, extended Jordan's hospitality to the Pope and 
emphasized that Jordan has shown evidence of this hospitality in the 
past by welcoming in "one million" Iraqi refugees "after the 
American invasion of Iraq." (Note: By all estimates he overstated 
drastically the number of Iraqi refugees in Jordan. End Note.) 
 
Pope Called for Building Bridges and Respect for Women, Praised 
King's Inter-Religious Dialogue 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) The Pope began his portion of the mass by saying in Arabic 
"Al salam Aliekum" (Peace be with you).  He called for peace in the 
Middle East and said that Muslims and Christians must "build new 
bridges."  The Pope also urged greater respect for women, saying 
that the "God-given role of the dignity of women has not always been 
understood and esteemed."  The Pope concluded his visit to Jordan by 
thanking the King and Queen for their hospitality and praising King 
Abdullah's efforts to "foster inter-religious dialogue." The Pope 
also commented on "Jordan's far-sighted political initiatives to 
build peace throughout the Middle East." 
 
Jordan Hopes For Tourism Boost, Queen Uses Twitter to Document Visit 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
AMMAN 00001115  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7.  (U) The Jordanians used the Pope's visit and its widespread 
coverage in the international media to promote tourism and hopes are 
high that it will spark travel to the country's religious sites. 
Restaurants had special menus for the visit, commemorative stamps 
were issued, and local newspapers described the events as a 
"pilgrimage" in the hopes that other pilgrims will follow. 
 
¶8.  (U) Queen Rania, adept at social media forums, used "Twitter" 
for the first time to chronicle the events. She posted comments 
throughout the visit, and wrote "just listened to Pope's speech, our 
region so needs a message of peace." 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman 
 
Beecroft