Today people are free to pray at the western wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, al-Aqsa mosque, or anywhere else they decide.

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But the Pope's supporters will be hoping that by visiting Muslim holy sites - he was the first pontiff to go to the great compound of al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem - he will have improved the overall tone of relations between the Catholic Church and some at least of Islam's believers.

BBC: Reflections on Pope's Holy Land tour