AMMAN // Arab Christians must stay true to their religious roots and ancient heritage despite the hardships they face, Pope Benedict XVI said yesterday during mass in Jordan's capital. The mass was held in a half-empty sports stadium, a reflection of Christians' shrinking numbers in the Middle East after years of violence and political turmoil. About 30,000 worshippers representing the wide spectrum of Eastern churches from all over the Arab world converged yesterday to celebrate the Eucharist in the open air as the Pope reminded them of their "great dignity". "May the courage of Christ our shepherd inspire and sustain you daily in your efforts to bear witness to the Christian faith and to maintain the church's presence in the changing social fabric of these ancient lands," he said. "Jesus knows what challenges you face, what trials you endure, and the good that you do in his name." The Pope then conducted the first of four masses to be held in the coming days during his tour of the Holy Land before his pilgrimage to the Middle East ends on Friday. He arrived at the sports stadium shortly before 10am in the bulletproof popemobile, circling the track and waving at the crowds of Iraqis, Jordanians, Egyptians and Lebanese in the benches, some of whom arrived by bus in large groups. There are an estimated 12m to 14m Arab-speaking Christians in the Middle East, but the figure is expected to fall to 6m by 2025. Pope Benedict emerged from the popemobile wearing a chasuble and walked up the steps of the stage constructed to resemble the inside of a church in the yellow and white colours of the Vatican, a theme echoed in the fresh flowers that trimmed the stage. He began the mass with the words "in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit, as salamu aleikum". Yesterday's event was particularly poignant for Iraqi Christians, whose ancestors have been in Iraq since the second century CE. About 40,000 now live in Jordan after having fled the communal violence racking their country. Maryam Ibrahim, 25, a Chaldean, escaped to Amman two years ago from her native Baghdad after a harrowing ordeal in which she was nearly raped and kidnapped by a gang as she was returning home from her job at a hospital. "They ripped my clothes off and took my cross and threw it on the ground," she said, her lip trembling at the memory. "My driver was a Muslim and he tried to protect me. He carried a weapon, but there were five or six of them. He killed one, but was then shot in the head. It happened an American [army] car came past and they got scared and ran away." She added: "They say it is safe now, but it isn't. My friend went back six months ago. She was a doctor and was kidnapped on her way back from the hospital, raped and murdered." The Pope also made a point of meeting several Iraqi Christians yesterday and suggested that Christians could play a role in combating extremism in the region by building bridges with people of other cultures. "It also means bearing witness to the love which inspires us to lay down our lives in the service of others and thus to counter ways of thinking which justify taking innocent lives," he said. A Vatican spokesman later said it could be interpreted to mean acting against Islamic fanaticism. Some of those in attendance were leaders of churches that do not recognise the Roman Catholic Pope's authority such as the Greek Orthodox, the Copts and even Protestants, but they came as a gesture of solidarity with fellow Christians. "We came today because we want to stand with the Catholic church," said Bishop Munib Younan, the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, who is based in Jerusalem. "We want to strengthen our Christian presence in Arab countries and to tell Arab Christians to stay in their countries because there is hope. Jordan is a paradigm of coexistence between Muslims and Christians." He said the Israeli occupation was making life difficult for Christians and expressed hope that the Pope would speak out against it when he arrives in Israel today. "We want a word of truth about the occupation. Whether he will or not, the church has to speak for justice," Bishop Younan said. But for Ms Ibrahim there was no guarantee that she would be safe again and would like to emigrate to the United States as soon as she could. "I don't think the condition of the Christians will improve. There is no hope." hghafour@thenational.ae With additional reporting by Suha Philip Ma'ayeh