Vatican voices support for peace process

The Vatican has called for giving the Middle East peace process a push forward and to work for eliminating obstacles hindering the realization of tangible peace.

In an official statement, the Vatican added that living standards of the Palestinian people who suffer severe hardships should be improved, calling for support of organizations in charge of providing aids for the Palestinian refugees.

However, Pope John Paul II who has recently criticized the settlements and policy pursued by Netanyahu's government still refuses to fix a date for his official visit to Israel which is scheduled to be held before the year 2,000.