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Pope Francis (centre) stands with Israeli President Shimon Peres (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an official departure ceremony at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, yesterday. Pope Francis (INSET 3rd from left) celebrated mass at a contested Jerusalem at the end of a whirlwind pilgrimage which he marked by making a personal bid for Middle East peace. He also made an impassioned call for an end to religious intolerance, saying believers must have free access to sites they consider sacred within the Holy City. The pope celebrated the last public mass of his visit at the Upper Room on Mount Zion, in which Jesus is believed to have held the Last Supper, where Christians have access but very limited freedom of worship. Vatican efforts to negotiate greater rights at the Upper Room have sparked opposition from nationalist and Orthodox Jews, who revere part of the building as the tomb of King David, prompting a series of angry protests and several anti-Christian attacks. Police were called to the Church of the Dormition, about 30 metres from the Upper Room in the Mount Zion compound, to probe an arson attack carried out shortly after the pope celebrated his mass. (PHOTOS: AP)
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