Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli President Shimon Peres and Pope Francis plant a tree together at the Vatican Gardens during a joint peace prayer initiated and hosted by Pope Francis, in the Vatican, on June 8, 2014. (Haim Zach/GPO/Flash90) JERUSALEM (JTA) — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for “freedom in our sovereign and independent state” during a prayer for peace with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Pope Francis. Vatican officials had called the service on Sunday at the Vatican a “pause in politics” with no political intentions.… Read more »
