Peres to escort pope during May visit to Israel

The Israeli government has asked President Shimon Peres to escort Pope Benedict XVI around the Holy Land when the pontiff visits in May.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made the announcement at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday. He said Peres will join the pope at various sites around the country. He did not give a specific date for the visit.

The pope announced plans for the visit last week.

Relations between the Vatican and the Jewish state were strained earlier this month when the pope decided to reinstate a Holocaust-denying bishop. The pope managed to ease tensions last week when he condemned the bishop's remarks.

There has been only one other official visit by a pope to the Jewish state, by Pope John Paul II in 2000.