'Stop clashes': Pope Francis calls for end to violence in Jerusalem

"Violence breeds violence, stop clashes", he told pilgrims who gathered Saint Peter Square in Rome.

Pope Francis on Sunday called for end to violence in Jerusalem, inviting parties to seek solutions in order to respect the multicultural identity of the Holy City.

Pope Francis speaks from a window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's Square in the Vatican during the weekly Angelus prayer followed by the recitation of the Regina Coeli. (AFP)

"Violence breeds violence, stop clashes", he told pilgrims who gathered Saint Peter Square in Rome.

Clashes erupted between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police outside the Old City of Jerusalem on Saturday as tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers prayed at the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque on Islam's holy night of Laylat al-Qadr.