Pope Francis on Sunday arrived here on a historic visit to the holy land and made an impassioned appeal to Israeli and Palestinian leaders to strive for peace describing the Middle East imbroglio as “unacceptable” and invited them to the Vatican for talks.
The Pope said he hoped “all will refrain from initiatives and actions which contradict the stated desire to reach a true agreement” for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
“For the good of all, there is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating the conditions for a stable peace based on justice, on the recognition of the rights of every individual, and on mutual security,” Francis said in Bethlehem, the biblical city where Jesus was born.
In a symbolic nod to Palestinian statehood, the 77-year-old religious leader hailed good relations between the Holy See and “the State of Palestine”, adding that the time had come “for everyone to find the courage to be generous and creative” in ending “a protracted conflict which has inflicted many wounds so difficult to heal”.
Pope Francis arrived in Bethlehem by helicopter from Jordan this morning on the second day of his first visit to the Middle East.
“In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace,” the Pope said at the Mass in Bethlehem.
“I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer,” Francis said. Israeli?President Shimon Peres and Abbas also accepted Pope Francis invitation to both leaders to pray for peace at the Vatican.
“The President welcomes the Pope’s initiative and says he appreciates any effort that is being made towards achieving peace between Israel and her neighbours,” a spokesperson for Peres said. A PLO executive committee member told CNN that the Palestinian leadership had accepted the papal invitation as well.
The pontiff met with Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas and conducted a public mass service in the central Manger Square.
PTI