Pontiff visits Judaism's holiest site the Western Wall

(NECN/IBA) - Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday continued his tour of the Holy Land, visiting Judaism's holiest place, the Western Wall, in Jerusalem's old city. The wall is the last remnant of the second of two biblical temples which stood on the site. Benedict, who was accompanied by the Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovich, inserted a note into a crack in the wall. It is a Jewish tradition to place notes, usually requests and pleas, to God, in cracks between the wall's ancient stones. Earlier in the day, the pontiff entered the Dome of the Rock mosque, the most sacred Muslim shrine in Jerusalem and part of the compound that is Islam's third-holiest site. He also met with the mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein. Hundreds of police and soldiers were positioned at the hilltop compound in Jerusalem known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount. Two police snipers were positioned in at least one minaret on the compound's perimeter and a police helicopter hovered overhead. The compound is the most contentious site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has been a frequent site of confrontation. The following video and story is from IBA/pool.