Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI has appealed for an end to the fighting in Libya and the Ivory Coast.
Speaking at his public audience Wednesday, Benedict said "violence and hatred are always a defeat" and that he encourages a process of pacification and dialogue.
He said he was praying for the victims and feels "near to all those who are suffering."
The pope also said that a special envoy he sent to the Ivory Coast to encourage a peaceful solution, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Turkson, has been blocked from entering the country.