Vatican hopes UN Palestinian vote brings peace

 
Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Monday, thanking him for supporting a recent United Nations resolution recognizing a Palestinian state.              

The two men chatted privately for around 25 minutes and then met with the Vatican's top diplomats.                  

The Vatican said the discussions referred to the November 29 UN vote upgrading the Palestinians to the same status as the Holy See: non-member state observer.                               

The Vatican had warmly welcomed the vote, and a Vatican statement said "it is hoped that this initiative will encourage the commitment of the international community to finding a fair and lasting solution" to the conflict.                   


Whilst Abbas was presenting his entourage to the Pope, one member of the group enthusiastically told the Holy Father that he was following him on the social networking site Twitter.              

The Pope and Abbas have met on six occasions, five times at the Vatican and once in Bethlehem during the Pope's 2009 visit to the Holy Land.


APTN