Vatican City : Pope Francis on Tuesday called on the world's nations to find more ways to achieve peace, reiterating a major theme of his papacy.

"My hope is that our countries and their peoples may find increased opportunities to work together in building true peace," he tweeted to his 30 million followers on Twitter.

Millions of people live today "in the midst of senseless conflicts" where "peace remains merely a distant dream," Pope Francis told ambassadors at the Vatican on Monday.

"Peace is a gift, a challenge and a commitment," he said in the address which urged the Palestinian Authority and Israel to resume peace talks on a permanent two-state solution.

"Israelis and Palestinians urgently need peace. The whole Middle East urgently needs peace," he said.-Agency