Pope Benedict XVI urged all sides in the Middle East not to give up on peace and appealed for religious freedom to be respected as he wrapped up a two-week synod of bishops from the region Sunday.
"For too long, the Middle East has been the victim of conflict, wars, violence and terrorism. Peace, which is a gift of God, is also the result of the efforts of men of good will, national and international institutions," Benedict said as he led mass at St Peter's basilica.
"We must never simply resign ourselves to the absence of peace. Peace is possible. Peace is urgent. Peace is an essential condition for the dignity of man and for the dignity of society," added Benoit.
The pope's homily was proceeded by a procession into St Peter's by 180 members of the clergy from the Middle East who have gathered in The Vatican over the last fortnight for the synod. They each prayed in their own language, including Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew and Farsi, as well as Latin.
The pope invited the congregation to pray for peace, saying their thoughts were with "our numerous brothers and sisters who live in difficult circumstances in the Middle East who face economic problems, and must overcome tension and sometimes fear".
"Christians can and must make their own contribution ... become peace builders and apostles for reconciliation to the benefit of all," he added.
The pope also urged Christians to play their part in promoting freedom of religious, particularly by striking up dialogue with Muslims, calling it "one of the fundamental rights, which should always be respected by every state."
In a final statement issued on Saturday, the bishops and patriarchs of the region's Catholic churches urged the United Nations to end the Israeli occupation of Arab lands. The synod was marked by repeated affirmations that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the root of the tension affecting the whole Middle East.
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