Pope Benedict foresees a “future of justice, peace, prosperity and cooperation” in a region that has been wracked with violence for the past decades. The pontiff was speaking in Jerusalem, the last stop on his 8-day visit to the Middle East.

Celebrating mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the pope delivered a message of hope “that does not disappoint because it is the gift of the spirit of life.” He prayed at the Stone of Anointing where Christians believe the body of Jesus Christ was prepared for burial.

On his first trip to the Middle East, Pope Benedict visited holy sites in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories revered by the world's Jews, Christians, Moslems. Speaking from Jordan, Rabbi David Rosen said that “all the religious communities felt that it was a very positive visit.”

Rabbi Rosen heads the International Jewish Committee for Inter-Religious Consultation, which is the Vatican’s official Jewish partner. Despite the positive reactions, he noted that the German-born pope also drew criticism from some Israelis for his lack of emotion and for failing to apologise fully for the Holocaust.

The pope also made strong political statements. During his visit in Bethlehem on Wednesday, he expressed support for a Palestinian state. Rabbi Rosen described this as  “expected, especially since about 70 percent of Israelis agree”.

One of Pope Benedict’s aims in his Holy Land pilgrimage was to mend fences after he was highly criticised for quoting a medieval Christian emperor who called some teachings of the Prophet  Mohammed “evil” and “inhuman”, during a 2006 speech in Regensburg, Germany. The pope later apologised.

He also offended Jews by lifting the excommunication of British bishop Richard Williamson, who had denied the Holocaust. The pope regretted the incident which  Rabbi Rosen describes as a major mismanagement by the Vatican.