The tests this trip was going to throw at Pope Benedict XVI came, as expected, during the second, and most challenging phase of the journey: Jerusalem. A shared city, a crucial place for Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and one of the main sticking points of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
During Benedict's two hectic days here (hectic for the press too, so please forgive the two days in one diary entry) it would have been easy to forget that one of the key parts of his trip was to support and visit the region's dwindling Catholic community.
When the word Christian was mentioned in news reports it was in passing: what all the headlines focused on was the pope's relationships with Israelis and Palestinians.
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During Benedict's two hectic days here (hectic for the press too, so please forgive the two days in one diary entry) it would have been easy to forget that one of the key parts of his trip was to support and visit the region's dwindling Catholic community.