VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict said in a special Christmas message to the Christians of the Middle East on Monday that he hoped to visit the Holy Land as soon as the situation there permits it.

"Dear brothers and sisters, I truly hope that Providence sees to it that circumstances permit me to make a pilgrimage to the land that was made holy by the events in the history of salvation," he said.

"I hope to be able to pray in Jerusalem, homeland of the hearts of all the spiritual descendants of Abraham...," he said.

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Jerusalem is a city sacred to all three of the great monotheistic religions -- Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The Pope has standing invitations from Israeli and Palestinian authorities to visit but has said that he wanted to make the trip in peaceful circumstances.

The Vatican supports a Palestinian state as well as Israel's right to exist within secure borders.

Benedict's predecessor Pope John Paul made a historic trip to the Holy Land in 2000.