Israeli President congratulates Francis, invites him to visit Holy Land

Israeli President Shimon Perez congratulated Pope Francis on his election as head of the Roman Catholic Church and officially invited him to Israel in order to promote peace in a “stormy region."

“More than ever we need a spiritual direction and not only political. When political leaders divide, spiritual leaders come together around one vision, values and faith that can turn the world into a better place to live in,” Peres affirmed in a statement and invited the newly elected pontiff to “visit the Holy Land at his earliest possibility."

“He'll be a welcome guest in the Holy Land, as a man of inspiration that can add to the attempt to bring peace in a stormy region,” the official document read explaining that ties between the Vatican and the Jewish people go through the “finest moment of the past 2000 years” and that the Israeli president expects bilateral relation to grow further.