Pope Benedict the XVI on Sunday expressed his hope that relations between the immigrants and the citizens will better, ''in a spirit of high moral standards''.

According to France Presse, the Pope made the appeal in Vatican's St Peter Square after a prayer attended by thousands of people.

The Pope's appeal for better understanding between local communities and immigrants comes as Romanians working or living in Italy have been affected by spiraling tensions with local communities after a man of Romanian origin killed an Italian woman in October.