Pope calls for ‘moderation’ after Temple Mount violence

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis appeals for moderation after the deadly violence over the Temple Mount.

Francis tells faithful on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square that he has been following “with trepidation the grave tensions and violence” unleashed at a contested shrine. On July 14, three Arab Israeli gunmen, shooting from the shrine, killed two Israeli policemen. Three Palestinians were killed in street clashes the following week, and a Palestinian terrorist fatally stabbed three members of an Israeli family in Halamish on Friday night.

Francis says: “I feel the need to express a distressed appeal for moderation and dialogue.” He invites others to pray with him so people would aim for reconciliation and peace.

Israeli authorities have imposed new security measures at the Temple Mount, including metal detectors to curb the violence, and tensions have risen over Muslim authorities’ demands that they be removed.

— Agencies and Times of Israel staff