Pope Calls for Palestinian Homeland
By VOA News
11 May 2009
Pope Benedict has called for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict - a position that could put him at odds with Israel's new government.
During a speech in Tel Aviv Monday, the pope said he was pleading with "all those responsible" to explore every possible avenue for a just resolution so that "both peoples may live in peace in a homeland of their own" with secure, "internationally recognized borders."
New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was present as the pontiff spoke. The prime minister has resisted promising a separate Palestinian homeland.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church is on a Holy Land pilgrimage.
His visit comes amid resentment among many Israeli Jews angry over his decision to remove the excommunication of a bishop who denied the Holocaust.
Pope Benedict called anti-Semitism "totally unacceptable," and he pledged to "honor the memory" of the six million victims of the Holocaust.
The pope arrived in Tel Aviv from Amman, Jordan. He later boarded a helicopter for Jerusalem.
Later in the week, the pope will tour sites in Israel and the West Bank, and will meet with Palestinian officials.
While in Amman, he encouraged all Jordanians to "build on the firm foundations of religious tolerance," during his farewell address.
On Sunday, Pope Benedict told thousands of Arab Christians in Amman that it takes courage of conviction for Christians in the Middle East to maintain their faith. Catholics make up less than two percent of Jordan's mainly Muslim population.
The visit to the Middle East is Benedict's first as head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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