Pope Francis welcomed Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican yesterday in an historic "prayer summit" that he is hoping will mark the "beginning of a new journey" in the efforts to bring peace to the Holy Land.
Pope Francis surprised the world at the end of yesterday's Mass in Bethlehem's Manger Square when he invited the presidents of Israel and Palestine to the Vatican to pray together for peace. Even more surprising is that both leaders accepted!
A Palestinian government anxious to prove to the world that it can maintain historic sites of international importance is in the process of brokering a deal between three different Christian groups whose infighting has prevented much-needed renovations to one of the Holy Land's most beloved sites - the Church of the Nativity.
Pope Francis welcomed Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican yesterday in an historic "prayer summit" that he is hoping will mark the "beginning of a new journey" in the efforts to bring peace to the Holy Land.
