Lip Service: In Bethlehem, Pope Laments Israeli Wall

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Pope Benedict XVI spoke Wednesday at a Palestinian refugee camp, expressing his solidarity with “all the homeless Palestinians who long to be able to return to their birthplace, or live permanently in a homeland of their own.” He reiterated his support for a Palestinian state in the shadow of the barrier that divides Israelis from Palestinians, one of the most contentious issues in the Holy Land. With Israel’s security fence rising prominently in the background, he criticized the structure that Israel has called key to its security, calling it “a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached.” “In a world where more and more borders are being opened up — to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges — it is tragic to see walls still being erected,” Benedict said. “How we long to see the fruits of the much more difficult task of building peace!”