Pope Benedict Urges Middle East Peace

Pope Benedict XVI, in Israel on his Middle East tour, called for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would lead to a homeland for both sides.

The pontiff said, "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties, so that both peoples may live in peace" in their own homeland with secure, internationally recognized borders, The New York Times reported.

Pope Benedict's itinerary includes visits to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial; the Western Wall; a site known as the Temple Mount to Jews and the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims; a Palestinian refugee camp, well as Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

"I come, like so many others before me, to pray at the holy places, to pray especially for peace -- peace here in the Holy Land, and peace throughout the world," the pontiff said.

Israeli President Shimon Peres greeted Pope Benedict XVI, saying the Catholic leader was "first among the faithful," and expressed hope the pope's presence would help foster peace in the region, The Jerusalem Post reported.

"I see your visit here, to the Holy Land, as an important spiritual mission of the highest order: a mission of peace," the president said. "A mission of planting seeds of tolerance and uprooting the weeds of fanaticism. I appreciate your stances and your actions to bring down the level of violence and hatred in the world."

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.