In an Easter message of peace, Pope John Paul yesterday issued a veiled denunciation of Israel's settlements policy in Jerusalem.
In his traditional Easter Sunday address to 50,000 Catholic faithful in St Peter's Square, the Pope called for peace throughout the world, and prayed "particularly" for the holy city.
The pontiff said he prayed that the Easter message of peace would "be an inspiration to the leaders of the nations and to every person of goodwill, especially in the Middle East and particularly in Jerusalem, where peace is put at risk by dangerous political decisions".
Without citing explicitly the Northern Ireland peace accord, agreed on Good Friday, the pontiff said he hoped Easter would "give fresh courage to those who have believed and still believe in dialogue as the way to settle national and international tensions."
The Vatican's official voice, Radio Vatican, on Saturday praised the Northern Ireland agreement as the "dawn of a new era after 30 years of attacks and bloody conflict".
"Today is the feast of all witnesses: including those of our own century, who have proclaimed Christ amid the terror unleashed by the blind hatred which has tragically engulfed individuals and whole nations," the pope told the massive crowd gathered in front of the Vatican for the Easter service.
He prayed for "the men and women of our own time, caught up in fratricidal strife and slaughter which reopen the wounds of ethnic rivalries, and in different parts of every continent, especially in Africa and in Europe, are now sowing in the earth the seed of dead and new conflicts for a sad tomorrow."
The Pope sent greetings in 58 different languages and dialects, with a special prayer for Italian earthquake victims.