Rome - Pope Benedict XVI on Monday visited Rome's city hall and appealed to the Italian capital's citizens to show tolerance and be more welcoming towards foreign immigrants.

Benedict's visit, the first by a pontiff in over a decade, came amid tensions in Rome and neighbouring areas involving Romanian immigrants as well as ethnic Roma living in shanty towns and camps around the city.

Benedict greeted a crowd of well-wishers, including a group of Roma children holding up a "No to Racism" banner, gathered in a square in front of Rome's Campidoglio municipal buildings.

Earlier the German-born pontiff addressed a special session of the city's city council presided by Mayor Gianni Alemanno.

Rome has become a "multi-ethnic and multi-religious metropolis where sometimes integration is difficult and complex," Benedict, who as pontiff is also Bishop of Rome, said.

"Rome will find the force to ensure that everyone respects the rules of civil co-existence and reject every form of intolerance and discrimination," if it relies on its ancient roots based on Christian faith and the "rule of law," he added.

The pontiff did not directly refer to a series of recent high profile rapes in and around the city that have been blamed on foreigners, especially Romanians and Roma.

Nor did he specifically mention an incident last month when a mob of around 20 masked men beat up four Romanians outside a restaurant in a Rome district close to a park where a 14-old girl was raped two days earlier, allegedly by two Romanians.

But Benedict appeared to allude to these when he mentioned "the episodes of violence deplored by all, that manifest a deeper unease."

Alemanno said the city, in honour of the pontiff's visit and as a "small sign" of its commitment to integration, plans to establish a centre for teenagers from troubled backgrounds, which will bear Benedict's name. (dpa)