Pope Benedict made an appeal for peace on Sunday, saying nations should halt bloody conflicts around the world to create a heaven on earth.
Addressing the faithful at his mountain retreat in the Italian Dolomites, the Pope said his summer holiday made him particularly sensitive to the suffering caused by war.
"In these days of rest ... I feel even more intensely the painful impact of the news I receive about bloody conflicts and violent events happening in so many parts of the world," he told worshippers gathered in the sunny mountain valley town.
