Pope Benedict XVI has urged Christians and Muslims to put their differences behind them and build bridges to peaceful coexistence as he celebrated mass in Nazareth.
His message was delivered in a homily before tens of thousands of people at an open-air mass.
The pontiff also called on the faithful to follow the example of Jesus and his parents Mary and Joseph and 'come to appreciate even more fully the sacredness of the family'.
'Sadly, as the world knows, Nazareth has experienced tensions in recent years which have harmed relations between its Christian and Muslim communities,' Pope Benedict said.
'I urge people of goodwill in both communities to repair the damage that has been done, and in fidelity to our common belief in one God, the father of the human family, to work to build bridges and find the way to a peaceful coexistence.'
The pontiff afterwards met Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Franciscan convent adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation.
Ahead of the encounter, an Israeli official said the state had refused a Vatican request to issue multi-entry visas to some 500 priests from Arab countries, in what Holy See spokesman Federico Lombardi said is 'clearly one of the points of long discussions' in the Israeli-Vatican bilateral commission.
The pope completes his pilgrimage in Jerusalem tomorrow with a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
