Pope Benedict has announced a special meeting of bishops next year to
discuss Middle East peace efforts and the role of the Catholic Church
in the region.
In comments Saturday to Roman Catholic Church
leaders, the pope said the meeting will take place in October of next
year (October 10-14, 2010).
He said the meeting will be titled, "The Catholic Church in the Middle East: communion and witness."
The
pope and the Vatican have long been active on the Middle East
diplomatic front, seeking to protect Christians in the Holy Land and
elsewhere in the Muslim-dominated region.
During a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land in May, Pope Benedict focused on building bridges between
Christianity, Islam and Judaism. At times in the past, Pope Benedict
has drawn criticism from members of the other faiths.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.