In a statement released today, Vatican Press Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls said that during "the course of the cordial meeting, consideration was given to the situation in the Middle East. Particular emphasis was laid on the need to integrate all elements of the Palestinian people into the peace process.”
Some speculate that this was a reference, on the Pope’s part, to violent extremists who have been blamed for widespread terrorism in the region. Last week, violence marred national Palestinian elections.
Abbas noted in his statements to journalists that the Pope, with "his symbolic weight ... can carry out a decisive role for peace."
Navarro-Valls said that the Pope also addressed “difficulties faced by Catholics in Palestine, and… their contribution to Palestinian society.”
During the meeting, one of the members of the Palestinian delegation presented the Pope with a document, which Abbas said was created by inhabitants of Bethlehem, in an effort "to express the ties of friendship and spirituality that link the Vatican and the people of Bethlehem, dear to Christians as Jesus' birthplace."
In 1982, Pope John Paul II met with then-Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat--the first of many such meetings which sparked protests and violent outrage on the part of Israelis and the worldwide Jewish community.