Pope, Palestinian prime minister discuss peace process, challenges

Published: 2005-12-05

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In Pope Benedict XVI's first meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, the two leaders discussed the Middle East peace process and the difficulties Palestinian Christians face in the territories. At the end of a private audience Dec. 3 in the Vatican, the Palestinian leader also invited the pope to visit the Holy Land, saying the pontiff would "be very welcome in Jerusalem and all the holy places." The pope thanked Abbas for the invitation while another member of the Palestinian entourage gave the pope a special entry permit for the West Bank town of Bethlehem, according to Italian news reports. The Palestinian minister of tourism, Ziad al-Bandak, told the pope that the document was a gift from the people of Bethlehem and that it made the pontiff an honorary citizen of the town where Jesus was born.

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