Pope renews Mideast cease-fire call

Pope Benedict addressed a crowd of about 3000 near his Alpine retreat, as he renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, and for negotiations to begin. The Pope called on the crowd to pray for peace in the Middle East. Significantly, Pope Benedict did not condemn the actions of Israel, but he did confirm the sovreignty of Lebanon, as well as the right of Israel to exist, and of the right of the Palestinians to have their own country. This is significant because Israel has for years lived in the shadow of the threats of terror from Hezbollah and from Hamas. Israel has the right to live in peace. The people in the region of Galilee (Haifa is in Galilee) have the right to live in peace and not in fear of acts of terror and of being bombed out of existence. The Pope has called on all parties to abandon the path of armed conflict, and pursue a path of peaceful settlement. We do need to turn to prayer and ask for God's help in bringing about a lasting peace in this region. However, how can there be peace when the leadership in both Iran and Syria (Aramia) continue their hate speeches against Israel and her every right to exist and for her citizens to live in peace. We need to pray in earnest to God for the sake of those who are truly innocent and who do not desire this conflict.