“I cannot but express my deep concern about the situation that has developed over the past few days and, at the same time, I make a heartfelt appeal to everyone to respect the status quo of the city, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations”. Pope Francis said this today before greeting the faithful in Italian as he usually does at the end of his Wednesday Audience. “Jerusalem is a unique city, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims who in it venerate the holy places of their respective religions, and has a special vocation for peace”, Pope Francis said, hoping that “this identity is preserved and strengthened for the benefit of the Holy Land, the Middle East and the whole world and that wisdom and prudence prevail, to avoid adding new elements of tension to a global context that is already convulsed and marked by so many cruel conflicts”.