Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday at the apostolic palace for a private audience.The two leaders discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the contribution of Catholics to Palestinian society.
Following his meeting with the pontiff, Abbas met the Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Vatican secretary for relations with states.
"During the cordial discussions, having recalled the Holy Father's own recent trip to the Holy Land, the dialogue focused on the situation in the Middle East and, in particular, on the need to find a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict... emphasis was given to the importance of co-operation and mutual respect between the parties involved, and of the support of the international community," said a Vatican statement.
"Reference was also made to the situation of Catholics in Palestine, and in the region more generally, and to the contribution they make to social life and to peaceful coexistence among peoples".
There are 50,000-83,000 Christians in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which make up between 1.2 and 2.2 percent of the population.
At least 150,000 others live within the borders of Israel and are considered Israeli Arabs. More than 500,000 other Christian Palestinians currently live abroad.
Many Palestinian Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, but there also are Maronites, Catholics, and Protestants among others.
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SIC: AKI