Pope Benedict on Thursday renewed appeals for a stepping up of international efforts to broker peace in the Middle East.
The pontiff also expressed deep concern over the situation of Christians in Iraq and other parts of the region, noting that many had no option but to flee.
"I knock at the hearts of those who have specific responsibilities so that they will absolve their duty to guarantee peace for everyone, without distinction," Benedict said to participants at a meeting on Catholic churches in the Mideast.
The pope said the Mideast was a problem which "tormented" the international community.
"Peace, which is so sought after and hoped for, is unfortunately widely offended," he added.
In a meeting with Mar Dinka IV, the patriarch of the Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, Benedict highlighted the plight of Christians in Iraq and other tense areas of the Middle east.
"Today, tragically Christians in the region suffer materially and spiritually," he said. "Many of them see no option other than to abandon their country".
