A possible trip by Pope Benedict to the Holy Land should not be written off because of the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Vatican's chief spokesman told Reuters today.
A Papal trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, expected in the spring, would be significant for political and religious relations in the Middle East. It would also be the pope's first trip to the Holy Land since his election in 2005.
Fr Federico Lombardi said that speculation in the Italian media that the Vatican was rethinking the trip because of the violence was "premature", even as the death toll neared 290 from the two-day Israeli offensive in Gaza.
"It's clear that (the Vatican) is following the situation, but it seems premature to say this incident is a determining or definitive factor," Fr Lombardi said.
He added that the idea of a papal trip to the region had always been addressed "with a certain understanding that the situation is still a risky situation".
"The Pope wants to make this trip. There have been contacts to prepare a draft programme and now we must wait to learn if there is a decision" to go ahead with it, he said, adding the final decision was up to the pontiff himself.
Pope Benedict has repeatedly called for an end to the fighting in recent days, including during a high-profile appeal at Christmas. Today, he pressed for all sides to abandon the "perverse logic of conflict and violence".
"The native land of Jesus cannot continue to be witness to so much bloodshed, repeating itself without end. I implore an end to that violence ... and for a renewal of the truce in the Gaza Strip," he told crowds gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The Vatican supports Israel's right to exist within secure borders alongside an independent Palestinian state and hopes a papal trip can help political and religious dialogue aimed at Middle East peace.
Two of Pope Benedict's predecessors in modern times, John Paul II and Paul VI, also visited the Holy Land.
A trip by the Pope to Israel could also help improve Catholic-Jewish relations, strained recently over wartime Pope Pius XII, accused by some Jews of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust.
The Vatican says that while Pius did not speak out against the Holocaust, he worked behind the scenes to help Jews because direct intervention would have worsened the situation by prompting retaliation from Hitler.