Vatican City, May 12, 2008 / 08:18 am
Today the new ambassador from Israel to the Holy See presented his letters of credence to Pope Benedict. After congratulating Israel on its 60 years of statehood, the Pope surveyed the difficulties faced by Christians in the region and called for the Israelis to work for a peaceful resolution to the conflict with the Palestinians.
Mordechay Lewy, the new ambassador of Israel to the Holy See, was received by the Holy Father this morning and extended "cordial good wishes on the occasion of Israel's celebration of 60 years of statehood.”
There are several areas of cooperation between Israel and the Church, given the shared Judeo-Christian heritage, the Pope said, pointing to humanitarian concerns and combating racism.
Dialogue between the two faiths has yielded fruit already, such as "the cultural and academic exchanges that are taking place between Catholic institutions worldwide and those of the Holy Land," Benedict XVI said.