Pope Francis calls both Israel’s President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today “remind” them about the need “to bring an end to hostilities, [make] efforts to promote a truce, peace and reconciliation in the hearts of those involved,” says a statement from the Vatican.
An earlier press release from Peres’s office did not mention the pope’s call to Abbas.
“The Holy Father Francis personally telephoned President Shimon Peres and President Mahmoud Abbas to share his very serious concerns regarding the current situation,” the statement says.
The Vatican says Francis considers Abbas and Peres to be “men of peace and seekers of peace” and tells them the conflict is “giving rise to a serious humanitarian emergency.”
Abbas and Peres attended an unprecedented joint prayer for peace with Francis in the Vatican Gardens last month, which followed the pope’s visit to the Middle East in May.
— AFP and Times of Israel staff
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