Pope Benedict XVI has used the backdrop of Israel's controversial security barrier to talk of his support for an independent Palestinian state.
The pontiff said the wall, which runs through Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, symbolised the "stalemate" between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Pope said he understood the frustration of the Palestinian people that their hopes for a homeland had been denied.
Following meetings with Israeli leaders earlier in the week, the Pope met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, telling him he supported the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign homeland in "the land of your forefathers".
In a speech, he urged Palestinians to resist resorting to violence and to use their experiences to work for peace to achieve their aims.
His specially adapted car drove him from the presidential compound to the Church of the Nativity, located on the site where Christ is said to have been born.
After changing into ceremonial robes, the Pope led an open air Mass for the thousands of officials and pilgrims gathered outside the church in Manger Square.
He told the congregation his "heart goes out" to Palestinians caught up in conflict in Gaza, and said he was praying that the embargo imposed by Israel on the coastal enclave would soon be lifted.
The Pope says he is a "pilgrim of peace" on his five-day Middle East tour, which he hopes will encourage the region's Christian minority.
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