Mr Abbas - Angel of Peace or not?

Pope Francis and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority at the Vatican

There's been a bit of outrage over Pope Francis supposedly calling President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority an "angel of peace", according to some news reports, during a private conversation between the two when Mr Abbas visited the Pope at the Vatican recently. Other media reported the phrase as an exhortation for Abbas to be an angel of peace.

The Vatican hasn't clarified matters, beyond reminding everyone that angels are messengers.

Anyway, officially Israel is not too concerned, for ...

Emmanuel Nahshon, the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said he heard a recording of the conversation, had consulted with Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican and was satisfied that the pope had said, “May you be an angel of peace.”

“He is far from an angel of peace,” Mr. Nahshon said of Mr. Abbas, adding, “If he was, perhaps by now there would be peace.”

Yep.  There's also no harm in encouraging him to be an angel of peace.  The Palestinian Authority needs as many of those types as possible.

Related link: Vatican Seeks to Quiet Uproar Over Pope’s ‘Angel of Peace’ Remark ~ New York Times