Pope Benedict told Palestinians on Wednesday he was praying for an end to Israel’s embargo of the Gaza Strip

“Please be assured of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which now lies ahead, and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted,” the pontiff said at a mass in Bethelehem, referring to Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, where it launched a 22-day offensive last December.

“All the tourists come here for one or two hours then leave. I can’t make much money from this,” said Manger Square Shawarma shop owner Omar Showriya as 8,000 pilgrims packed the square outside with cheers for the Pope, about to give mass.

Expectations for the pope are mixed as the Holy Father’s trip to the region came at a delicate time; just less than four months after the last shell was dropped on Gaza.

Responding to Abbas Benedict empathized with the plight of the Palestinians: “I know how much you have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades. My heart goes out to all the families who have been left homeless. This afternoon I will pay a visit to the Aida Refugee Camp, in order to express my solidarity with the people who have lost so much.”

Also in his speech the pope announced that “The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders.”

The pontiff recognized Palestinians’ right “to contact between family members and access to the holy places,” and.

In his address to the waiting pilgrims, Benedict continued his political message, “In a special way my heart goes out to all the pilgrims from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace, and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship, and the suffering you have had to endure. Please be assured of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which now lies ahead and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted.”

Benedict then drove to the Nativity Church where he will preside over a pontifical mass at Manger Square, packed with an estimated 8,000. He will then travel to Bethlehem’s Ayda Refugee Camp where he will be hosted in an UNRWA boys school and view a cultural exhibition prepared by the children of the camp.