"I am preparing to visit Israel, a land which is holy for Christians as well as Jews, since the roots of our faith are to be found there," Benedict said at a conference with the leaders of major American Jewish organizations, according to a transcript of his address on the Vatican website.
During the visit on May 11-15, the pope is expected to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian authorities in the West Bank. He is also due to conduct services in Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem, and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
The Vatican said in October that the German-born pope wanted to visit Israel "as soon as possible," but could not because of the attitudes of Jewish leaders toward the Nazi-era Pope Pius XII.
Pius XII, who reigned from 1939 to 1958, has been accused of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust and refusing to publicly condemn Nazi atrocities against Jews.
At an event in October marking the 50th anniversary of Pius XII's death, Benedict backed his beatification - the last step before sainthood - saying that he "often acted in secret and in silence" to defend Jews during the Holocaust. As pope, however, Benedict has not yet signed the beatification document.
The pope also sparked a crisis in relations with Jewish leaders in January when he lifted the excommunication of four bishops, one of whom had recently made comments denying the Holocaust.
Bishop Richard Williamson's comments were aired on Swedish TV in January, three days before Benedict lifted the excommunication of the four bishops, who had been consecrated by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988 without papal consent.
