Can Pope Francis Bring Peace to the Middle East?
Pope Francis' upcoming visit to Israel and the West Bank is being met with hopes he'll help resolve problems that thus far have flummoxed kings, presidents and Nobel Prize laureates.
Key Excerpts
Christians in Israel and the West Bank –- the majority of whom are Arab –- are under pressure. Christians made up about 10 percent of the population when Israel was founded in 1948. These days, they make up between 2 and 3 percent, according to the Roman Catholic church.
Significantly, for the first time, the official itinerary of the pope's visit refers to the Palestinian territories as the "State of Palestine," reaffirming the Holy See's recognition of the 2012 United Nations resolution that assigned Palestine the status of non-member observer state.