Pope meets Israeli president, expresses hope for Mideast peace

Published: 2007-09-06

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI met with Israeli President Shimon Peres and expressed hope that new diplomatic moves can bring peace in the Middle East. After 60 years of suffering endured by the peoples of the region, it is imperative to make "every effort" to find a just settlement, the Vatican said after the Sept. 6 meeting. Following his 35-minute private audience with the pope, Peres held separate talks with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican's top foreign affairs official, to discuss the Middle East and church-state relations in Israel. The encounters came as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were preparing to renew negotiations. Meanwhile, diplomats were setting the stage for a U.S.-sponsored international conference on the Middle East in November. The Vatican statement said the prospect of an international conference raised new hopes and created a "particularly favorable context" for progress.

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