Pope Benedict XVI received Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmud Abbas on Monday and called on all parties involved in the Middle East crisis to find the courage to work together for peace and reconciliation, AFP reported.

In a statement following the meeting, the Vatican said it hoped that the PA’s recent upgraded status at the United Nations as a non-member observer state would “encourage the commitment of the international community to finding a fair and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Benedict and Abbas had talked about “the region, troubled by numerous conflicts, in the hope that the courage for reconciliation and peace will be found,” the Vatican said.

A solution “may be reached only by resuming negotiations between the parties in good faith and according due respect to the rights of both,” it said, adding that Abbas had also met with the Vatican’s number two and secretary of state, Tarcisio Bertone.

The Vatican, which favors a two-state solution, was quick to hail the U.N. vote as a positive step toward reconciliation.