Pope prays at Israel\\\'s West Bank separation barrier
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Pope Francis has prayed at the concrete barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank during his three-day tour of the Middle East, according to a news agency.
The unscheduled stop came after he called for an end to the "increasingly unacceptable" Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Speaking in Bethlehem, the Pope invited the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to the Vatican to pray for peace.
The tour's official purpose is to improve ties with the Orthodox Church.
The Pope is to meet Bartholomew I, the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, in Jerusalem later - to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of Catholic and Orthodox leaders who moved to end 900 years of division between the two churches.
Francis's visit comes just weeks after peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down, and his invitation to Rome for Presidents Peres and Abbas - quickly welcomed by both - is an intriguing development.
Following the Mass in Bethlehem, the Pope flew by helicopter to Tel Aviv where he was formally welcomed to Israel by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.