Jerusalem: Pope Benedict XVI, the first pontiff to visit the disputed shrine in the Al Aqsa mosque, sacred to both Islam and Judaism, called for "sincere dialogue" for peace to end the West Asian conflict.
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On the second day of his Holy Land tour on Tuesday, the Pope visited the Dome of the Rock inside the Al Aqsa mosque compound, where the Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad ascended the heaven and the adjacent western wall, the last remnant of the ancient Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
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"God of all the ages, on my visit to Jerusalem, the 'City of Peace', spiritual home to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, I bring before you the joys, the hopes and the aspirations, the trials, the sufferings and the pain of all your people throughout the world," the Pope wrote in a note placed in the cracks of the Western Wall.
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Competing claims to the hilltop compound revered by Muslims and Jews have sparked violence in the past. Resolving the dispute has been the most intractable issue during more than 15 years of on-and-off Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
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"In a world sadly torn by divisions, this sacred place serves as a stimulus, and also challenges men and women of goodwill to work to overcome misunderstandings and conflicts of the past and set out on the path of a sincere dialogue aimed at building a world of justice and peace for coming generations," the pope said during a meeting with the top Islamic cleric in Jerusalem.
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The Germany-born Pope had visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum on Monday, and gave a speech which has drawn criticism from staff members of the memorial, who described it as disappointing and lukewarm.
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The chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Avner Shalev, said that he expected the Pope, "who is a human being, too," to draw on his personal experience to issue a stronger condemnation of Nazis and Germans, who were not directly mentioned in the speech.
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The Pope grew up in Nazi Germany and served in both Hitler Youth movement and the Wehrmacht, before deserting from the army in 1944.
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Shalev, however, said that the speech was "important," especially in its criticism of denial of the Holocaust.
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The Pope's five-day pilgrimage aims at strengthening Vatican's strained relationship with Israel and boost his profile as a beacon of peace in the Holy Land.
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"God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob hear the cry of the afflicted, the fearful, the bereft. Send your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East, upon the entire human family. Stir the hearts of all who call upon your name, to walk humbly in the path of justice and compassion", the note further added.
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He shook hands with the Mufti of Jerusalem and senior Islamic WAQF officials before entering the mosque for prayers, removing his shoes as a mark of respect.