Pope Benedict has urged President Rajapaksa to respect human rights

During a meeting with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, Pope Benedict stressed the need to respect human rights and called the escalating conflict in Sri Lanka "dramatic".

"The need was reiterated to respect human rights and resume the path of dialogue and negotiation as the only way to put an end to the violence that is bloodying the island," Vatican statement said.

President Rajapakse is on a three day official visit to Italy.

Madhu pilgrims

The Sri Lankan President's attention was drawn by the Vatican to the Madhu chuch and requested to provide facilities to pilgrims.

President's Media Director, Chandrapala Liyanage, told BBC Sinhala that the President Rajapakse recalled that he provided facilities to Madhu pilgrims while he was the Prime Minister as well.

The need was reiterated to respect human rights and resume the path of dialogue and negotiation as the only way to put an end to the violence that is bloodying the island Vatican statement

Rajapakse explained that pilgrims are facing difficulties due to LTTE activities, Liyanage added.

The Pope has been urged by aid agencies to raise concerns about the escalating conflict between the Sri Lankan forces and the Tamil Tigers.

The Catholic charity Caritas, which works in north-eastern Sri Lanka, says more than 40,000 people have been displaced in the last month alone.

The Pope said in his Easter address that "only a negotiated solution" could end the country's civil war.

'Open prison'

The conflict between the Sri Lankan Forces and the separatist Tamil Tigers is taking a heavy toll.

	Pope earlier called on the parties to restart talks to end bloodshed

Caritas says the district of Jaffna in the north-east of the country is now an "open prison".

The only land route was closed in August last year cutting off essential humanitarian aid.

The Secretary General of the charity, Duncan McClaren, said he welcomed the Pope's intervention.

"We hope the meeting inspires President Mahinda Rajapakse to seek every peaceful means," he said, "and we hope it will resolve the crisis in his country."

Death threats

Another group, the New York-based Human Rights Watch, has urged the Pope to raise the increasing issue of human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

The group says both sides involved in the conflict continue with summary executions and intimidation of reporters and clergy.

They are particularly concerned about the disappearance of a Roman Catholic priest who went missing in August last year at a Sri Lankan navy checkpoint on an island near the northern Jaffna peninsula.

Fr. Jim Brown had reportedly received death threats from senior navy personnel.