Benedict issued his latest plea as he greeted some 3,000 pilgrims in a meadow near his Alpine vacation retreat on a day that he had dedicated to prayers for peace in the Middle East

Will it make it easier or harder to resolve the pressing problems of Palestine and Iraq – and the much bigger battle against Islamic extremism? The more immediate question is: Who will emerge with what?

In Sidon, 14 people were injured and a mosque was destroyed in the first strikes on the southern port city.