Pope to lead Israeli-Palestinian peace prayer

Pope Francis is scheduled to host a peace prayer with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents in a move aimed at bringing the two peoples together. Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, will lead prayers on Sunday at the Vatican with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres in a gesture aimed at fostering dialogue.

“This prayer meeting will not be for mediation or to find solutions. We are just meeting up to pray. Then everyone goes home,” Francis said after issuing the invitations during a pilgrimage to the Middle East last month.