VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI on Monday made a fresh appeal for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, where he said he hopes to pay a pilgrimage if circumstances permit. The 79-year-old pontiff also called for an end to brutal violence in Iraq and a democratic Lebanon in his traditional Christmas Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message delivered from the balcony of Saint Peter s Basilica before thousands of pilgrims on an unseasonably warm, sunny day. In a separate message issued by the Vatican, the pope said he hoped to visit the Holy Land and pray in Jerusalem.
I very much hope that Providence will offer circumstances permitting a pilgrimage to the Holy Land (to) pray in Jerusalem, the emotional heartland of all the descendants of Abraham, Benedict said in a message addressed to Christians in the Middle East. He called on them to renounce hatred and vengeance and to resist the temptation to move away from the region, lest holy Christian sites become deserted archaeological zones . In his Urbi et Orbi message beamed to 102 television stations in 63 countries, the pope said: I express my hope that the way will be opened to a just and lasting peace, with respect for the inalienable rights of the peoples living (in the Middle East). I place in the hands of the divine Child of Bethlehem the indications of a resumption of dialogue between the Israelis and Palestinians, which we have witnessed in recent days, and the hope of further encouraging developments, the pontiff added. I appeal to all those who hold in their hands the fate of Iraq, that there will be an end to the brutal violence that has brought so much bloodshed to the country, and that every one of its inhabitants will be safe to lead a normal life, he said.
