A compromise on Pope Francis' planned visit to the Western Wall, scheduled to take place in two weeks, appears to have been reached. The pope, who will be in Israel for the first time since ascending the papacy, was originally scheduled to visit the holy site at 8 a.m. on Monday. However, controversy arose when some Jewish officials said that the early visit would disturb Jews during their morning prayers. Two weeks ago, a senior Western Wall official told Israel Hayom that sunrise prayers, which have been held for the past four decades, rain or shine, could not be canceled due to the pope's scheduled visit. The official also noted that around 100 families had already registered to hold bar mitzvah ceremonies on the morning of the pope's visit, and that 50 more were expected to do so. "Their joy cannot be put off because of the pope's visit," the official said. Recent discussions between Israeli officials and the Vatican's ambassador to Israel devoted to finding a solution for the visit resulted in a proposal to delay the pontiff's visit by an hour and close off the Western Wall plaza only after the Jewish morning prayers are concluded. According to the proposal, prayers will continue inside the hall throughout the event, although the gates will be locked. Bar mitzvah ceremonies scheduled for that same morning will take place after the pope leaves the site. The compromise arrangement has not yet been officially accepted.
