Pope appeals for immediate ceasefire in Middle East

Pope Benedict XVI today appealed for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East to end a crisis he described as “ever more tragic".

“In the name of God, I appeal to all those responsible for this spiral of violence, so that they immediately put down their arms on all sides,” the pope told faithful at Castel Gandolfo, his summer residence on the outskirts of Rome. Pausing slightly, he stressed the word “immediately.”