In the wake of the passing away of Pope John Paul II on Saturday night, Israelis and Arabs are mourning the loss of a man they hail as a man of peace who sought a resolution to a raging, and largely religious, conflict in the Middle East. Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders have expressed their immense sorrow for the passing of a devoted religious figure who spent his life defending and promoting peace, freedom, justice, independence and equality for all people of all races and religions. This weekend’s tragic event rings loud a signal to end the decades-old conflict in the heart of the Holy Land, remembering the Pope’s numerous and poignant messages of peace for the region.

In March 2000 the already ailing Pontiff embarked on a seven-day millennium pilgrimage to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the first pope to visit the Holy Land in thirty-six years. During this visit, he attempted to build bridges among the region’s three main religions, championing religious reconciliation and campaigning for peace. In Israel he visited Yad Vashem, a memorial to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, and said a prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, asking forgiveness for past Christian wrongs against Jews. The late Pope also met with former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who accompanied him to the Deheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. There the Pope kissed a bowl of Palestinian soil given to him by two Palestinian children, a gesture recognizing and saluting their nationhood.

The Pope appealed to all parties in his messages which sought lasting peace and a new understanding based on international law. He talked of the need for the Israeli people to live under security, but clearly outlined the legal rights of the Palestinian people, calling for an end to the illegal military occupation of Palestinians.

“We should build bridges of love instead of building walls of hatred,” the Pontiff was frequently quoted as saying.

“[W]hen we love our neighbor we are showing love for God, and when we hurt our neighbor we offend God. This means that religion is the enemy of exclusion and discrimination, of hatred and rivalry, of violence and conflict. Religion is not, and must not become, an excuse for violence, particularly when religious identity coincides with cultural and ethnic identity. Religion and peace go together!” Pope John Paul II said at an inter-religious meeting with Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders during his visit to Jerusalem in March 2000. “We must do all that we can to turn awareness of past offenses and sins into a firm resolve to build a new future in which there will be nothing but respectful and fruitful cooperation between us.”

The Pope’s visit to the Holy Land aimed to promote long-lasting peace in the region. However, six months later, Ariel Sharon invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Haram Al-Sharif accompanied by one thousand Israeli soldiers and policemen, sparking the beginning of the second Intifada.

“[T]here will be no end to the sad conflict in the Holy Land without stable guarantees for the rights of all the peoples involved, on the basis of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions and declarations,” the Pontiff said. “Only with a just and lasting peace, not imposed but secured through negotiation, will legitimate Palestinian aspirations be fulfilled.”

With the death of the Pope, it is time to remember his messages of peace and for both sides to finally end the painful and unjustifiable violations against each other. As human beings with the same wishes of and rights to life, liberty and justice, Israelis and Palestinians must move beyond religious and cultural differences and implement promises of peace, equality and neighborly love.