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Italy Holds 'Peace Marathon' in Holy Land
Middle East - AP
Italy Holds 'Peace Marathon' in Holy Land
Date: Fri, Apr 23, 2004
JERUSALEM - Italian athletes, Catholic pilgrims, Israelis and Palestinians ran a "peace marathon" Friday from Jerusalem's Notre Dame Cathedral to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Fifteen Israelis joined the 15 Italians and pilgrims for the first leg of the 6.2 mile run, which led to an Israeli army checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the West Bank city where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was born.
On the other side of the checkpoint, 15 Palestinian runners took over from the Israelis for the second leg.
Bearing an Olympic-style torch blessed by Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II, a smiling Monsignor Liberio Andreatta, head of the Vatican (news - web sites)'s pilgrimage office, warmly greeted an Israeli soldier guarding the checkpoint.
The run was part of a visit to Israel by a 200-member Italian delegation led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar for Rome, to promote peace and encourage Catholics to visit the Holy Land.
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