Pope Benedict, speaking in the wake of a world outcry over Israel's blockade of Gaza, today appealed for "concerted international effort" to ease tensions in the Middle East before more bloodshed occurs.
His appeal coincided with the release of a Vatican document on the Middle East that decried "disregard for international law," human rights abuses, and an exodus of Christians fleeing conflict in the region.
"I reiterate my personal appeal for an urgent and concerted international effort to resolve the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially before such conflicts lead to greater bloodshed," he said.
Yesterday, Israel's navy boarded a ship carrying aid to Gaza without incident, five days after killing nine people on a Turkish aid ship to enforce a blockade that even its closest ally, the United States, has called unsustainable.
The pope wrapped up his three-day trip to this divided island, a political and cultural crossroads between Europe and the Middle East, with a mass for the tiny Catholic community in Cyprus, which is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian.
At the end of the mass, the pope symbolically delivered a politically-tinged 40-page working paper for a meeting of bishops from the Middle East at the Vatican in October.
"For decades, the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict, disregard for international law, the selfishness of great powers and the lack of respect for human rights have disrupted the stability of the region and subjected entire populations to a level of violence which tempts them to despair," it said.
Reuters