Pope Visits Muslim, Jewish Sites on Last Day in Mideast

Pope Francis on Monday made an impromptu stop at an Israeli memorial for victims of militant attacks, on the final day of his whirlwind Middle Eastern pilgrimage.

The unscheduled gesture, which came as he visited the national cemetery on Mount Herzl, reportedly took place at the personal request of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, army radio reported.

It comes a day after the 77-year-old Argentine made another surprise stop to briefly pray at Israel's West Bank security barrier in Bethlehem, in a gesture the Palestinians hailed as an "eloquent and clear message".

The pontiff was on Monday rounding off a whirlwind trip which saw him issue a unique invitation to the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to pray with him at the Vatican to end their "increasingly unacceptable" conflict.

On an early-morning tour of Jerusalem's walled Old City, Francis called for Christians, Jews and Muslims to "work together for justice and peace" as he was shown around the Al-Aqsa compound, the third holiest site in Islam which Jews also consider sacred.

Entering the exquisite blue-tiled Dome of the Rock with its landmark golden cupola, used as a place of worship for women only, the pope first removed his shoes before walking down to visit the smaller, silver-domed Al-Aqsa mosque.

At the Western Wall, the holiest site at which Jews can pray, he prayed for a few moments and left a note in between the ancient stones before sharing an emotional embrace with two close Jewish and Muslim friends travelling with him.

Francis had promised the three-day pilgrimage, which began on Saturday in Jordan, would steer clear of political issues.

But he ad-libbed from a scripted speech to condemn anti-Semitism, religious intolerance and those behind conflicts in the Middle East.

- A controversial mass -

During the morning, he also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, where he denounced the "abyss" of the Nazi genocide which claimed the lives of six million Jews.

Speaking at the Hall of Remembrance, long, dark stone room with the names of the Nazi death camps inscribed on a granite slab, Francis spoke of "the boundless tragedy of the Holocaust" describing it as an "unfathomable abyss".

And later, on meeting Israel's two chief rabbis, Francis expressed hope that Jews, particularly "young people", would demonstrate a "growing interest in knowledge of Christianity". 

As a gift, the two rabbis gave him a replica of a fragment of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls on which was written the Ten commandments.

Israelis have hailed Francis' for his close relationship with the Jewish people.

"He wants to move on, to do things and not be stuck in the past. He can communicate with other religions, maybe he could even bring peace," said Meirav Bachar who was waiting to see the pope at a reception with President Shimon Peres. 

Francis will end his trip by celebrating mass at the site known as the Cenacle, or Upper Room, bringing into sharp focus a decades-long debate over prayer rites at the site where Christians believe Jesus had his Last Supper.

The site on Mount Zion, is located in a two-storey building also considered holy to Muslims and Jews, who regard it as the place where the biblical figure David was buried.

Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, who has made his first visit to Israel to meet with the pope, incurring the anger of Lebanon's powerful Shiite Hezbollah, will also attend the mass. 

Starting his visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories in Bethlehem on Sunday, he was welcomed by thousands of cheering, flag-waving Christians as he arrived to celebrate mass in Manger Square.

He also made an unscheduled stop by the West Bank barrier, climbing out of his open jeep to pray, his forehead and hand resting against the wall, alongside graffiti reading "Pope we need someone to speak about justice."

Israel says the barrier, which it began building in 2002, is crucial for security. Palestinians see it as a land grab aimed at stealing territory they want for a future state.

- Diplomatic dance -

At the end of the open-air mass, the pope weighed in on the Middle East conflict, inviting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and his Israeli counterpart Peres to join him at the Vatican for a "heartfelt prayer" for peace.

A senior Palestinian official confirmed Abbas had accepted and would visit the Vatican on June 6, while Peres' spokesman said only that the invitation was welcomed.

In a boost for relations between bickering Christians, Francis on Sunday also joined Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I in an historic joint prayer for unity between Rome and Constantinople.

The pair met, embraced and kissed at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre inside the Old City to mark the historic meeting 50 years ago between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras -- the first easing of tensions between the churches since the Great Schism of the 11th century.