Pope Francis invited to Israel

Israeli president and Nobel peace laureate Shimon Peres invited Pope Francis on an official state visit to Israel after a meeting in the Vatican on Tuesday, April 30. “I am expecting you in Jerusalem. Not just me but all the people of Israel,” Peres said in English to the pope at the end of their 30-minute meeting. The president gave Francis a bible in Hebrew and English, with a dedication inside which read: “To his Holiness Pope Francis, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.” The meeting, the first between a leader from the Middle East and Francis, who was elected in March, came at a time of important developments in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.


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