Story highlights Pope Francis arrives in Tel Aviv, speaks to Israeli leaders

Pope invites Palestinian and Israeli leaders to the Vatican to pray for peace

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will go to Vatican, official says

Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomes the invitation, his office says

Pope Francis extended an invitation Sunday to the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to travel to the Vatican for a "peace initiative," after earlier calling for a two-state solution to the intractable conflict.

The pontiff's remarks came at the end of an outdoor Mass in Bethlehem's Manger Square on the second day of his three-day trip to the Middle East.

"In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with Israeli President Shimon Peres , to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace," Francis said.

"I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer."

He added, "Building peace is difficult, but living without peace is a constant torment. The men and women of these lands, and of the entire world, all of them, ask us to bring before God their fervent hopes for peace."

The Palestinian side has accepted the invitation and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will go to the Vatican, a Palestinian Legislative Council member, Hanan Ashrawi, told CNN.

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Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis prays in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on Monday, May 26. The Pope has been on a three-day historic trip to the Middle East, his first as leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Hide Caption 1 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis arrives to meet prelates, nuns and seminarists at the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem on May 26. Hide Caption 2 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – The Pope's reflection is seen May 26 on a marble plaque in Jerusalem that's engraved with names of Israeli civilians killed by terrorism. Hide Caption 3 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Francis meets Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, outside the Dome of the Rock on May 26. Hide Caption 4 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Surrounded by Israeli security guards, Francis leaves the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum in Jerusalem on May 26. Hide Caption 5 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Francis visits the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem museum on May 26. Here the Pope stands with Israeli President Shimon Peres, second from right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fourth from right. Hide Caption 6 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I pray over the Stone of Unction at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City on Sunday, May 25. The Pope joined Bartholomew in a historic joint prayer for Christian unity at Christianity's holiest site in Jerusalem. Hide Caption 7 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Francis blesses a child from his Popemobile as he leaves Manger Square after presiding over an open-air Mass in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on May 25. Francis extended an invitation Sunday to the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to travel to the Vatican for a "peace initiative," as he called for a two-state solution to the intractable conflict. Hide Caption 8 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Francis, center, leads an open-air Mass in Bethlehem on May 25. Hide Caption 9 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Francis touches the wall that divides Israel from the West Bank on his way to celebrate a Mass in Bethlehem on May 25. Hide Caption 10 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greets Pope Francis in Ramallah, West Bank, on May 25. Hide Caption 11 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Francis prays Saturday, May 24, at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, on a tributary of the Jordan River that tradition holds is the site where Christ was baptized. Hide Caption 12 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Amman's International Stadium on May 24. Hide Caption 13 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis kisses a baby after giving a blessing upon his arrival to lead Mass at the Amman stadium. Hide Caption 14 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis rides in a golf cart with King Abdullah II of Jordan on May 24 as they visit Bethany, on the eastern bank of the Jordan River. Hide Caption 15 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Jordanians and Christians of various nationalities and denominations congregate at Amman's International Stadium on May 24 awaiting the Pope's arrival. Hide Caption 16 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis meets King Abdullah II in Amman's Al Husseini Royal Palace on May 24. Hide Caption 17 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis walks with Jordanian Prince Ghazi, chief adviser to the King of Jordan for Religious and Cultural Affairs, on May 24 as he arrives at the Amman airport. Hide Caption 18 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis arrives at the airport in Amman on May 24. Hide Caption 19 of 20 Photos: Photos: Pope visits Holy Land Pope visits Holy Land – Pope Francis blesses a man as he greets journalists aboard the papal flight on his way to Jordan on May 24. Hide Caption 20 of 20

Photos: Pope Francis Photos: Pope Francis Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, left, reads aloud words engraved on a pen as he meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Friday, December 16, 2016. The words "The bullets have written our past, education will write our future" are engraved on the pen, made from a recycled bullet once used in the civil war between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The pen was later used to sign the peace agreements between the parties earlier this year. Santos, who was awarded the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the region's longest-running conflict, presented Pope Francis with the pen. Hide Caption 1 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis accepts a letter from a child he visited at a pediatric hospital in Rome on Thursday, December 15, 2016. Hide Caption 2 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis poses with members of the International Catholic Rural Association at the Vatican on Saturday, December 10, 2016. Hide Caption 3 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis salutes the faithful upon his arrival in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for the Special Jubilee Papal Audience on Saturday, October 22, 2016. Hide Caption 4 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis looks on with joy as he releases a dove as a symbol of peace during a meeting with the Assyrian Chaldean community at the Catholic Chaldean Church of St. Simon Bar Sabbae in Tbilisi, Georgia, on September 30, 2016. Hide Caption 5 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis passes the main entrance to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former concentration camp in Poland, on Friday, July 29, 2016. The Pope was there to pay tribute to those who died in the Holocaust. Hide Caption 6 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis looks on as Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II celebrates the Divine Liturgy at the Apostolic Cathedral in Etchmiadzin, outside Yerevan, Armenia, on June 26, 2016. Hide Caption 7 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis arrives to celebrate an extraordinary Jubilee Audience as part of ongoing celebrations of the Holy Year of Mercy in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on May 14, 2016. Hide Caption 8 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis hugs a child at the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Saturday, April 16, 2016. Pope Francis received an emotional welcome on the island during a visit showing solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. Hide Caption 9 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis confesses in St. Peter's Basilica during the Vatican's Penitential Celebration on Friday, March 4, 2016. Hide Caption 10 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis tries on a traditional sombrero he received as a gift from a Mexican journalist on Friday, February 12, 2016, aboard a flight from Rome to Havana, Cuba. The voyage kicked off his weeklong trip to Mexico. With his penchant for crowd-pleasing and spontaneous acts of compassion, Pope Francis has earned high praise from fellow Catholics and others since he succeeded Pope Benedict XVI in March 2013. Hide Caption 11 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis arrives for his visit with prisoners in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Friday, July 10, 2015. The Pope emphasized the plight of the poor during his eight-day tour of South America, which also included stops in Ecuador and Paraguay. Hide Caption 12 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Bolivian President Evo Morales presents the Pope with a gift of a crucifix carved into a wooden hammer and sickle -- the Communist symbol uniting laborers and peasants -- in La Paz, Bolivia, on Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Hide Caption 13 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis greets a crowd of Italian Catholic boy scouts and girl guides at St. Peter's Square on Saturday, June 13, 2015. Hide Caption 14 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, meets Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday, June 10, 2015. The Pope gave Putin a medallion depicting the angel of peace, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said. The Vatican called it "an invitation to build a world of solidarity and peace founded on justice." Lombardi said the pontiff and President talked for 50 minutes about the crisis in Ukraine and violence in Iraq and Syria. Hide Caption 15 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis meets with Cuban President Raul Castro at the Vatican on Sunday, May 10, 2015. Castro thanked the Pope for his role in brokering the rapprochement between Havana and Washington. Hide Caption 16 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis The Pope prays face down on the floor of St. Peter's Basilica during Good Friday celebrations at the Vatican on Friday, April 3, 2015. Hide Caption 17 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis touches a child's face as he arrives for a meeting at the Vatican on Friday, March 6, 2015. Hide Caption 18 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Hindu priest Kurukkal SivaSri T. Mahadeva presents a shawl to Pope Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday, January 13, 2015. Hide Caption 19 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis The Pope attends Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in December 2014. Hide Caption 20 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I address the faithful in Istanbul on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Hide Caption 21 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis speaks during the feast-day Mass while on a one-day trip to Italy's Calabria region in June 2014. The Pope spoke out against the Mafia's "adoration of evil and contempt for the common good," and declared that "Mafiosi are excommunicated, not in communion with God." Hide Caption 22 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis prays next to a rabbi at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City in May 2014. The Pope went on a three-day trip to the Holy Land , and he was accompanied by Jewish and Muslim leaders from his home country of Argentina. Hide Caption 23 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis The Pope meets the faithful as he visits the Roman Parish of San Gregorio Magno in April 2014. Hide Caption 24 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have an audience with the Pope during their one-day visit to Rome in April 2014. Hide Caption 25 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Francis speaks with US President Barack Obama at the Vatican in March 2014. Hide Caption 26 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis The Pope blesses the altar at Rome's Basilica of Santa Sabina as he celebrates Mass on Ash Wednesday in March 2014. Hide Caption 27 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Daniele De Sanctis, a 19-month-old dressed as the pope, is handed to Francis as the pontiff is driven through the crowd in St. Peter's Square in February 2014. Hide Caption 28 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Wind blows the papal skullcap off Pope Francis' head in February 2014. Hide Caption 29 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis A lamb is placed around Francis' neck in January 2014 as he visits a living nativity scene staged at a church on the outskirts of Rome. Hide Caption 30 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis meets with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the Vatican in December 2013. Benedict surprised the world by resigning "because of advanced age." It was the first time a pope has stepped down in nearly 600 years. Hide Caption 31 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis marked his 77th birthday in December 2013 by hosting homeless men at a Mass and a meal at the Vatican. One of the men brought his dog. Hide Caption 32 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis embraced Vinicio Riva, a disfigured man who suffers from a non-infectious genetic disease, during a public audience at the Vatican in November 2013. Riva then buried his head in the Pope's chest. Hide Caption 33 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Pope Francis jokes in November 2013 with members of the Rainbow Association Marco Iagulli Onlus, which uses clown therapy in hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages. Hide Caption 34 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis A young boy hugs Francis as he delivers a speech in St. Peter's Square in October 2013. The boy, part of a group of children sitting around the stage, played around the Pope as the Pope continued his speech and occasionally patted the boy's head. Hide Caption 35 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Francis has eschewed fancy cars. Here, Father Don Renzo Zocca, second from right, offers his white Renault 4L to the Pope during a meeting at the Vatican in September 2013. Hide Caption 36 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Francis has his picture taken inside St. Peter's Basilica with youths who came to Rome for a pilgrimage in August 2013. Hide Caption 37 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis During an impromptu news conference in July 2013, while on a plane from Brazil to Rome, the Pope said about gay priests, "Who am I to judge?" Many saw the move as the opening of a more tolerant era in the Catholic Church. Hide Caption 38 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Crowds swarm the Pope as he makes his way through World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in July 2013. According to the Vatican, 1 million people turned out to see the Pope. Hide Caption 39 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Francis frees a dove in May 2013 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square. Hide Caption 40 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Francis embraces a young boy with cerebral palsy in March 2013 -- a gesture that many took as a heartwarming token of the Pope's self-stated desire to "be close to the people." Hide Caption 41 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis The Pope washes the feet of juvenile offenders, including Muslim women, as part of Holy Thursday rituals in March 2013. The act commemorates Jesus' washing of the Apostles' feet during the Last Supper. Hide Caption 42 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Francis stands at the reception desk of the Domus Internationalis Paulus VI residence on March 14, 2013, where he paid the bill for his stay during the conclave that would elect him leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. Hide Caption 43 of 44 Photos: Pope Francis Francis, formerly known as Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected the Roman Catholic Church's 266th Pope in March 2013. The first pontiff from Latin America was also the first to take the name Francis. 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The Israeli President's office said that he welcomed the invitation. "President Peres has always supported, and will continue to support, any attempts to progress the cause of peace," his office said.

Pope Francis then traveled on to Tel Aviv, where in remarks on the airport tarmac to Peres and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , he again issued an invitation to pray for peace at the Vatican. He also reiterated the Vatican's support for Israel's right to exist in peace and security.

The next stop on his historic trip was Jerusalem.

Two states

Earlier, speaking alongside Abbas in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Francis called for the recognition of a Palestinian state -- but he made the same demand on behalf of the state of Israel.

He urged "the acknowledgment by all of the right of two states to exist and to live in peace and security within internationally recognized borders."

The Pope called on all sides to pursue a path to peace together and not take unilateral actions to disrupt it.

"I can only express my profound hope that all will refrain from initiatives and actions which contradict the stated desire to reach a true agreement, and that peace will be pursued with tireless determination and tenacity," he said.

Middle East peace talks recently stalled despite high-profile efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to push them forward.

The government of Israel has objected to unilateral initiatives by Palestinians to seek international recognition as a state, and Palestinians have objected to Israeli initiatives to expand settlements on the West Bank.

Protecting Christians

In his remarks in Bethlehem, Francis called on Abbas to protect the religious rights of Palestinian Catholics.

The Vatican has expressed concern over the emigration of Palestinian Christians.

Photos: Popes and the Queen Photos: Popes and the Queen Popes and the Queen – Britain's Queen Elizabeth II meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday, April 3. Over the years, she has also met many of his papal predecessors. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Popes and the Queen Popes and the Queen – The Queen, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, exchanges gifts with Pope Benedict XVI in Edinburgh, Scotland, in September 2010. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Popes and the Queen Popes and the Queen – The Queen shakes hands with Pope John Paul II at the Pope's private office in October 2000. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Popes and the Queen Popes and the Queen – Pope John Paul II walks with the Queen at London's Buckingham Palace in May 1982. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Popes and the Queen Popes and the Queen – The Queen and Prince Philip meet Pope John Paul ll for the first time in October 1980. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Popes and the Queen Popes and the Queen – The Queen and Prince Philip are pictured with Pope John XXIII at the Vatican in 1961. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Popes and the Queen Popes and the Queen – The Queen, then as Princess Elizabeth, poses for a group photo with her entourage, Vatican knights and Swiss Guards following a talk with Pope Pius XII in April 1951. Hide Caption 7 of 7

Photos: Popes and Presidents Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Pope John XXIII are shown during a private audience at the Vatican, Dec. 6, 1959. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – July 2, 1963, President John F. Kennedy and Pope Paul VI talk at the Vatican. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – Oct. 4, 1965, Pope Paul VI and President Lyndon B. Johnson are seen during the Pontiff's visit to New York. Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – Sept. 28, 1970, President Richard Nixon talks with Pope Paul VI as they meet in the Vatican. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – Jan. 1, 1975, President Gerald Ford with his wife Betty at the Vatican City with Pope Paul IV. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – President Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy meet Polish Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy, July 15, 1976. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – Sept. 10, 1987, Pope John Paul II meets with President Ronald Reagan in the Vizcaya, a lavish mansion on Biscayne Bay, in Miami. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – May 27, 1989, President George H.W. Bush gestures while standing with Pope John Paul II in the papal library at the Vatican. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – August 12, 1993, Pope John Paul II and President Bill Clinton walk the grounds of Regis University in Denver. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – President George W. Bush shakes hands with Pope John Paul II upon his arrival for a private meeting at Vatican June 4, 2004. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – First lady Laura Bush and President George W. Bush applaud as Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd at the White House during an arrival ceremony on April 16, 2008. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with Pope Benedict XVI in his library at the Vatican on July 10, 2009. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Popes and Presidents Popes and Presidents – President Barack Obama and Pope Francis exchange gifts during a private audience on March 27, 2014 at the Vatican. Hide Caption 13 of 13

The pontiff also took a stand for the poor, suffering under tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

"Even in the absence of violence, the climate of instability and a lack of mutual understanding have produced insecurity, the violation of rights, isolation and the flight of entire communities, conflicts, shortages and sufferings of every sort," he said.

After meeting with Abbas, Francis cruised in the Popemobile through a crowd of hundreds of Catholic faithful and onlookers gathered in Manger Square as they awaited the papal Mass.

Priests and the faithful swayed to religious music, while many waved red, green, black and white Palestinian flags and others yellow and white Vatican flags.

The Pope hopped off the Popemobile to shake hands with people in the crowd.

In a symbolically charged moment, he also stopped the vehicle to cross over to the separation barrier erected by Israel, its surface daubed with graffiti including the words "Free Palestine!" There, arm outstretched, he touched the concrete wall, his head apparently bowed in prayer.

Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestine National Initiative, told CNN, "The Pope did not only put his hand on a concrete wall. He put his hand on occupation. He put his hand on (an) apartheid system, on a system of separation, and discrimination, and oppression."

Refugee children make appeal

Francis also met with a group of Palestinian refugee children while in the West Bank.

As they entered, the children held up signs about the occupation of Palestinian territories, typed in Arabic, Italian and English.

"Muslims and Christians live under the occupation," read one. Another said, "I have never been to the sea!" in an apparent reference to the restrictions on movement under which Palestinians live.

After the children sang and presented him with gifts, the Pope responded in his native tongue, Spanish, to say he had heard their message.

"Never let the past determine your lives," he said. "Violence is not overcome by violence. Violence is overcome by peace."

While in Jerusalem, Francis will meet with Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

His visit to the region commemorates the 50th anniversary of the landmark meeting between Pope Paul VI and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians at the time, Patriarch Athenagoras, in Jerusalem.

The pope will also meet the city's grand mufti and chief rabbis, visit the Western Wall and Yad Vashem, a memorial to the Holocaust, and lay a wreath on the grave of the founder of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl.

The Holy Land visit is the first for Francis as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and just the fourth for any pontiff in the modern era.

'Urgent' solution needed to Syrian crisis

On the first day of his trip, Francis also gave a message of unity as he celebrated Mass at a stadium in Amman, Jordan -- a majority Muslim nation with a significant Christian community.

In his homily, Francis spoke of the need for tolerance and diversity and urged everyone to put aside grievances and divisions.

"The mission of the Holy Spirit is to beget harmony ... and to create peace in different situations and between different people," he said.

"Let us ask the Spirit to prepare our hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters so that we may overcome our differences rooted in political thinking, language, culture and religion."

Christian refugees from Syria Iraq and the Palestinian territories were among those present, and 1,400 children received their First Communion at the Mass.

The Pope's trip to the Holy Land has been billed as a "pilgrimage for prayer," with its roots in faith, not politics.

But in a region where religion and politics are so closely intertwined, his every remark takes on an added significance.

The pontiff is traveling with two friends -- a rabbi, Abraham Skorka, and a Muslim, Sheikh Omar Abboud, who leads Argentina's Muslim community. The Vatican has said their presence is symbolic of his call for unity.

The Pope's first stop was at al-Husseini Royal Palace in Amman, where he met with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

In televised remarks after that meeting, Francis paid tribute to Jordan's efforts to promote interfaith tolerance and to the welcome that the small nation has given to Palestinian refugees and, more recently, those fleeing war-torn Syria.

Francis said it was "necessary and urgent" that a peaceful solution is found to the crisis in Syria.

While in Jordan, Francis met some of the 600,000 Syrians who have fled since the start of the civil war in 2011, as well as refugees from Iraq. He also visited the River Jordan, where many Christians believe Jesus was baptized.