Pope Paul has appealed to the “interested parties” in the Middle East not to widen the present tensions, mentioning Lebanon specifically, and to find a workable solution to the Arab refugee problem. Lebanon has been involved in across-the-border shooting in recent months for the first time since prior to the Six-Day War a year ago.
The Pope, speaking to the Cardinals on the occasion of his patron saint day, also urged avoidance of discrimination toward inhabitants of any countries in the area and called for application of all possible efforts to find new formulas of co-existence and cooperation in the region. He suggested the United Nations resolutions on the Middle East offered possibilities for a just and durable peace and he urged maximum cooperation by the various countries to implement them. He said he hoped every nation in the area would have dignity, independence and “the right to existence.” He also reiterated his belief that Jerusalem and the Holy Places should be under international jurisdiction.
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