WEST BANK: Pope Francis meets children at a Bethlehem refugee camp

Record ID: 274577

  • Title: WEST BANK: Pope Francis meets children at a Bethlehem refugee camp
  • Date: 25th May 2014
  • Summary: DHEISHEH REFUGEE CAMP, WEST BANK (MAY 15, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF POPE FRANCIS SHAKING HANDS
  • Embargoed: 9th June 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACXDVY4TX0TCD622SDHR7WLW38
  • Story Text: Pope Francis visited with children at a Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem Sunday (May 25), advocating for peace and insisting violence would only cause more violence.
    Earlier, Pope Francis made a surprise stop at the wall Palestinians abhor as a symbol of Israeli oppression, and later invited presidents from both sides of the divide to the Vatican to pray for peace.
    "I am so happy to be with you. I can see that you have many things inside your hearts, so I say I am with you," Pope Francis told the children, who waved signs as he entered.
    One sign, written in English, read: 'I have never seen the sea.' Palestinians living in the landlocked West Bank cannot access the Mediterranean coast without an Israeli permit.
    There are nearly 750,000 registered refugees in the West Bank, a quarter living in 19 camps and others in towns and villages.
    "We the Palestinian children have not yet lost hope," said Mohammed Hassanat, who lives in a refugee camp near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. "Your visit to the refugee camp is a good step, which gives us faith and trust in having our right to live with peace in the Holy Land."
    A weary looking pontiff listened to a children's choir and was later presented with gifts, including a wooden sculpture of a raised fist grasping an old key - representing the desire of many Palestinian refugees to return to homes they lost during Israel's war of independence.
    Continuing a theme of peace and tolerance, Pope Francis told the children: "I would like to tell you something important-- violence only begets violence. Violence can only be defeated through peace. And peace is achieved through hard work and dignity on the path forward," the pope said in his native Spanish.
    On the second leg of a three-day trip to the Middle East, Francis delighted his Palestinian hosts by referring to the "state of Palestine", giving support for their bid for full statehood recognition in the face of a paralysed peace process.
    But, speaking at the birthplace of Jesus in the Palestinian-run city of Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, he made clear that a negotiated accord was needed, calling on leaders from both sides to overcome their myriad divisions.
    Francis invited the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to come to the Vatican to pray for an end to the enduring conflict, just a month after the collapse of U.S.-backed peace talks.
    It seemed unlikely that Peres, who accepted the invitation, would receive any mandate from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on renewing direct talks.
    Netanyahu has said Israel would not consider resuming the negotiations unless Abbas reneged on a unity pact with Hamas, one of its most bitter enemies which rules in Gaza. Abbas has said a new government envisaged by the accord would be committed to peace.
    Francis started the day in Jordan and had flown straight to Bethlehem, becoming the first pontiff to travel directly to the West Bank rather than enter via Israel - another nod to Palestinian statehood aspirations.
    From Bethlehem, the pope flew by helicopter to Tel Aviv airport where he was welcomed by Peres and Netanyahu, before flying back over the Judean hills to Jerusalem.
    The Vatican has said the main purpose of the three-day papal pilgrimage is to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders, who moved to end centuries of bitter divisions between the two churches.
    In that vein, he was due to hold talks later on Sunday with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register