A comment from QMJ that I think is important to post here

as a follow-up to the post below

It is important to affirm that the Pope is not a political figure. Yes, there are political implications to what he says because we cannot separate the various spheres of human life, but he is not a president, prime minister, governor, congressman, member of parliament, or any other such thing. He is the spiritual head of the Catholic Church. He also does not just have a responsibility to Catholics, but to all people. This is why it is good for him to also visit these other areas in the Holy Land. If he were to exclude either Jews or Palestinians/Arabs during his visit then that indeed could be construed as political. But no, this is not the case; he is a spiritual leader visiting people on both sides of the fence, not for political gain, but for their welfare.