Shimon Perez visits Pope

Source: VIS

The Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls released the following statement yesterday.

"This morning Shimon Peres, former prime minister of the State of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize winner, visited His Holiness Benedict XVI. He then went on to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, in the presence of Oded Ben-Hur, Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, and Mgr Pietro Parolin, under-secretary of the Section for Relations with States.

"In the course of the discussions opinions were exchanged concerning the problem of peace in the Holy Land while respecting United Nations Resolutions and the agreements concluded to date. In this context, there was a unanimous condemnation of all forms of terrorism, whatever pretexts used to try and justify it.

"Relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See were also examined, in the light of the agreements signed in 1993 and 1997, as were relations between the Israeli authorities and the Christian communities resident in the country.

"At the end of the meeting, Shimon Peres, invited the Supreme Pontiff to visit Israel."