Pope Francis appealed for moderation and dialogue on July 23 following a surge of violence and killings over Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

Addressing crowds in St. Peter’s Square during his Sunday Angelus address, the Pope said he was following “with trepidation the grave tensions and violence of the last days in Jerusalem.”

“I feel the need to express a heartfelt appeal for moderation and dialogue,” he said, before asking people to join him in praying for all sides to come together with proposals for reconciliation and peace.

The site, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, saw a rise in tension after two Israeli police officers were shot dead near the site on July 14.

Israel installed metal detectors at the site, which were met with angry protests. At least three Palestinians had died in clashes by July 22, according to local reports.

A Palestinian man also fatally stabbed three members of an Israeli family on July 21. Credit: YouTube/Centro Televisivo Vaticano via Storyful