Pope set to depart from Bethlehem, fly to Israel

Pope Francis is wrapping up his stay in Bethlehem with a visit to the Grotto of the Nativity, the cave atop which the eponymous church is built, and where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was born. After a final farewell with Palestinian officials at 4 p.m., Francis will fly by helicopter to Ben Gurion International Airport for his reception by Israeli officials.

From there, the pope travels to Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus for a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, the Archbishop of Constantinople and leader of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Christians. The two are slated to sign a joint declaration, then hold a joint prayer session at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.