«We are profoundly conscious of the concern of Christians over the construction of the Nazareth mosque, and we are trying to find a way not to wound this position,» Peres said on the Telepace television station here.
«For now, we have postponed the construction, with the objective of finding a compromise or an alternative,» the Nobel Peace Prize recipient added. «We will do all we can, not to wound the feelings of the Christian world.»
He continued: «We have very much appreciated the Pope´s appeal against terrorism, in the Message for the Day of Peace. He says that terrorism and kamikaze suicides are a sin against the Lord and against man. It is an ethical appeal.»
Peres was visiting Italy on Tuesday to meet with political authorities. Scheduling conflicts ruled out a meeting with John Paul II, according to Peres and Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro-Valls.
