Pope condemns Jerusalem synagogue attack

Pope Francis on Wednesday (November 19) condemned an attack by two Palestinians who killed five Jews in a Jerusalem synagogue, and expressed concern about rising tension and violence in the city.

"I am following with concern the alarming increase in tension in Jerusalem and other areas of the Holy Land, with unacceptable episodes of violence that do not spare even religious sites," the pope told worshippers in St. Peter's Square in his first public appearance since Tuesday's killings.

"From the depth of my heart, I send an appeal to the interested parties that they put a stop to this spiral of violence and make courageous decisions towards peace and reconciliation," he said.

"To build peace is difficult but to live without peace is a torment," the pope said.

The attack with a meat cleaver and a gun follows weeks of unrest in Jerusalem in a dispute over Jerusalem's holiest site, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.