Shimon Peres meets with Argentinian interfaith leaders. Photo: Facebook.

Israeli President Shimon Peres praised Pope Francis I during a meeting with an interfaith delegation from Argentina on Sunday.

Welcoming them to Israel, Peres praised the group for working together and showing “religious brotherhood.” He then made mention of Pope Francis’ successful endeavors.

“The new pope has shown that spirit and values are more important than possessions; he returned religion into a spirit rather than an organization, a faith more than a church,” Peres said.

He also addressed ongoing Middle East chaos, saying, “Terror is destroying countries and mainly the Arab countries in this region, there is terrible bloodshed… The leaders of all religions should stand against the killing of innocents, against terrorism.”

The delegation – made up of Muslim, Christian and Jewish leaders – was created under the patronage of Pope Francis when he served as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Besides Israel the group will visit the Palestinian Authority and Jordan during their trip to the region. They will conclude their travels by meeting with the Pope at the Vatican.

Luis Grynwald of the Jewish community in Buenos Aires presented Peres with a Mate (a symbolic Argentinian cup) on behalf of the delegation and said, “This is an Argentinian symbol. Everyone drinks from the same cup – Jews, Muslims, Christians and all citizens of the country.”

“It’s a symbol that we can live in peace, in Argentina, in Israel and all over the world,” he added.