BICOM

The Vatican announced yesterday that arrangements had been finalised for Israel’s President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to visit Rome on 8 June in order to participate in a joint prayer session alongside Pope Francis.

The pontiff issued the impromptu invitation to Peres and Abbas during his visit to the region last week. Towards the end of celebrating mass in Bethlehem, the Pope presented the idea of a joint prayer session and said, “I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer… to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace.” He added that, “Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment.”

Both Peres and Abbas quickly indicated that they would accept such an invitation. During his journey back to Rome, Pope Francis elaborated on the idea, telling journalists that, “It will be a prayer meeting. It’s not to do mediation or find solutions … We’ll meet just to pray, and then everyone will go home. But I think praying is important, praying together.” Commenting on the prospect of peace, the Pope said, “Courage is needed to do this and I am praying to the Lord very much so that these two leaders, these two governments, have the courage to move forward. This is the only path for peace.”

Yesterday, the Vatican confirmed the event, publicising a note which stated that the prayer session “will take place on June 8, during the afternoon,” a date “accepted by both parties.” The Holy See also indicated that a rabbi and a Muslim cleric will also be in attendance.

The prayer meeting comes several weeks after peace talks between Israel and the PA were suspended in the wake of a unity pact between Abbas’s Fatah faction and Hamas, which remains dedicated to Israel’s destruction. The event will be one of Peres’s final acts as President of Israel, as his term will come to an end in July.