News

The Vatican has lashed out at the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories while blaming Christian fundamentalists for using scriptures to justify the occupation.

In a working paper prepared for a summit of Middle East bishops in Rome in October and unveiled during the first-ever papal visit to Cyprus by Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic hierarchy also blamed "political Islam" for bloodshed and "plight of Christians" in the region.

"The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is creating difficulties in everyday life, inhibiting freedom of movement, the economy and religious life," with access to holy sites dependent on military permission, said the paper quoted by wire reports.

Moreover, according to the Vatican document, "certain Christian fundamentalist theologies used sacred scripture to justify Israel's occupation of Palestine, making the position of Christian Arabs an even more sensitive issue.”

The pope has also urged the globe to end the bloodshed in the Middle East, claiming that the world has neglected the "plight of Christians" in the region.