Pope Benedict XVI condemned violence carried out "in God's name" on Monday at a Vatican conference of the Catholic bishops and other religious leaders from across the Middle East."It is supposedly in the God's name that this violence is committed but this is not God, these are false divinities that have to be unmasked," Benedict said.
He also warned of the spread of "terrorist ideology" in the modern societies.
The synod conference has been called to discuss the pastoral issues linked to the dwindling Christian communities in the Middle East, but also aims to foster peace between Israel and the Palestinians and to counter the Islamic extremism.
The synod talks began on Monday and are due to end on October 24.
Arabic will be one of the official languages at the synod, which will bring together Catholic clergymen, an Iranian ayatollah and a British-born rabbi.
At a mass marking the opening of the synod on the Sunday, Benedict called on Christianity, Islam and Judaism to "promote spiritual and cultural values that unite people and exclude any form of the violence" in the Middle East.
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