Pope pleads for end to Gaza violence

Pope Benedict XVI called for an end to the violence in Gaza during his Angelus audience on Sunday, December 28. "The earthly homeland of Jesus cannot continue being witness to such bloodshed that is repeated without end!" the Holy Father said, asking international leaders to "do everything possible" to "help the Israelis and Palestinians out of this dark alley." While the Pope avoided taking sides in the clash, Father Federico Lombardi, the spokesman for the Holy See, told a Vatican Radio audience that Israel's reaction to Hamas bombing was producing "many innocent victims," and said that Israeli strikes would "damage peace prospects." Later, responding to a rumor that swept through the Vatican press corps, Father Lombardi said that it was "premature" to suggest that the latest fighting could endanger plans for a papal visit to the Holy Land in May 2009.
[Source: Catholic Culture news service]