MANILA (CWNews.com) - Philippines President Joseph Estrada told Pope John Paul II on Thursday that the Holy Father should concentrate his prayers on other parts of the world that need them more, in reaction to the Pope's prayers for a strife-torn southern region of the country.

    During his Wednesday general audience, the Holy Father prayed for the Mindanao region where 50 Catholic students, teachers, and a priest are being held hostage by Muslim separatist rebels who have demanded Vatican mediation in the conflict. "I pray for all the residents of that region and, in particular, for politicians and the military. I pray that God may enlighten them and move them to do everything possible to end the violence by seeking peaceful solutions to existing problems," he said.

    Asked for his reaction to the prayer, Estrada said: "He should not be praying for peace in Mindanao but he should be praying for peace in the world. It is not only in Mindanao where there is trouble. There is also trouble in Kosovo and Pakistan." He added: "Hopefully, if he would concentrate, maybe our problem with the (rebels) will be over."