Photo: Pope Benedict XVI meets Muslim clergy at Dome of the Rock

Tue May 12, 7:52 AM ET

In this photo released by the Israeli Government Press Office, Pope Benedict XVI, centre, walks in front of the Dome of the Rock as he visits the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem’s Old City, Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Pope Benedict XVI took his message of peace to the most contentious site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday, urging the sides to embark upon ‘a sincere dialogue aimed at building a world of justice and peace.’ (AP Photo/ GPO,Ziv Koren, HO)

Tue May 12, 7:52 AM ET

Pope Benedict XVI (C) enters the Dome of the Rock during a visit to the compound, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City May 12, 2009, in this picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). Pope Benedict visited holy sites in Jerusalem at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday as part of a pilgrimage beset by Jewish disappointment over his remarks on the Holocaust. REUTERS/Atta Awissat/GPO/Handout (JERUSALEM RELIGION POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL

Tue May 12, 6:40 AM ET

Pope Benedict XVI (2nd R) walks in front of the Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City May 12, 2009, in this picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). Pope Benedict visited holy sites in Jerusalem at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday as part of a pilgrimage beset by Jewish disappointment over his remarks on the Holocaust. REUTERS/Atta Awissat/GPO/Handout (JERUSALEM RELIGION POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. ISRAEL OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ISRAEL

Mon May 11, 3:00 PM ET

Pope Benedict XVI (C) shakes hands with senior Palestinian Muslim cleric Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi during a meeting with representatives of the organizations for the inter-religious dialogue in the Our Lady of Jerusalem Centre in Jerusalem May 11, 2009. al-Tamimi fiercely denounced Israeli policy in Jerusalem in the presence of Pope Benedict on Monday and appealed to the pope to help end what he called the “crimes” of the Jewish state.  REUTERS/Tony Gentile (ISRAEL RELIGION POLITICS)

View of Jerusalem’s Old City with the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and the Western Wall. The ‘Ir Amim’ rights group has warned that the Israeli government has secret plans to surround Jerusalem’s Old City with sites under its control to strengthen its hold on the divided city.(AFP/File/Gali Tibbon)