ROME - Pope Benedict said Sunday he would visit the Holy Land from May 8-15 in the first papal trip to the area since 2000.
The visit would be the second official trip by a pontiff to Israel.
Announcing the dates of the long-planned pilgrimage, the Pope said he would go to sites Jesus visited and would pray for "the precious gift of unity and peace for the Middle East and all of humanity."
Benedict told a crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square for the traditional noontime blessing that he was asking the faithful for their spiritual support for the Holy Land pilgrimage and a trip to Africa from March 17-23.
Benedict said the African trip would show "the concrete closeness of myself and of the Church to the Christians and the people of that continent, which is particularly dear to me."
The Pope will stop in Cameroon and Angola, meeting with local bishops, Muslim representatives and women's rights advocates.
The Pope's Middle East tour will touch Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, with stops in cities including Amman, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, the Vatican said.
Though a detailed program has not yet been announced, officials in destination countries have said they expect Benedict to visit an Amman mosque, hold public mass in Jordan and Nazareth and make a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
There has been only one other official visit by a pope to the Jewish state, pope John Paul's pilgrimage in 2000.
