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| Pope Francis and Shimon Peres |
Just weeks after U.S. President Barack Obama visited Israel, the Jewish state might soon see another high profile visitor.
Israeli President Shimon Peres invited Pope Francis to visit Israel on Tuesday, during his first meeting with the new pope, who has called for peace in the Middle East.
The Pope accepted the invitation "with goodwill and cheer," a Vatican spokesperson said, but there was no indication of when the pope might travel to Israel.
"I'm waiting in Jerusalem, not only me, but all the people in the land of Israel," Peres told the Pope in the presence of journalists after 30 minutes of private talks in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina, called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians in his speech last month.
A Vatican statement said they discussed the prospects for a resumption of negotiations for a solution that respects "the legitimate aspirations of the two peoples, which will contribute to peace and stability in the region."
They also agreed on the need for a political solution to the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Both of Francis’ immediate two predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, visited the Holy Land, including the Palestinian territories in 2000 and 2009 respectively.
“It would be an extremely positive step for all parties in the region if the pope made a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories in order to promote peace in the region. A visit by the pope will also help out the Israeli and the Palestinian economies because of the tourism interest such a visit will spark throughout the Christian world,” Dawn Lyle, 54, of Vatican City, told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the invitation.
Peres asked Francis "to pray for us all", and told the Pope that he would pray for him during a trip on Wednesday to the central city of Assisi, Italy, where he will visit the tomb of St. Francis, whose name he adopted when Bergoglio was elected Pope.