VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI called Wednesday for the release of all those held in conflict zones and in particular an Italian Red Cross worker taken hostage by Islamic militants in the southern Philippines in January.

Recalling that the Red Cross dates back exactly 150 years, the pope said at his weekly general audience that he would "use this occasion to urge the release of all those held in conflict zones and once more that of Eugenio Vagni, an employee of the Red Cross in the Philippines."

Vagni, 62, was seized with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) colleagues Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Mary Jean Lacaba of the Philippines in January while on a humanitarian mission on Jolo island.

Notter and Lacaba were released in April, but efforts to negotiate Vagni's release have failed, though Philippines officials believe he is still alive.

Benedict paid tribute to the "values of universality, neutrality and independence" of the Red Cross, the brainchild of Henri Dunant after he witnessed the sufferings of the wounded in the battle of Solferino on June 24, 1859.

Red Cross organizations have "attracted millions of volunteers across the world, form a vital rampart of humanity and solidarity in so many wars and conflicts, as well as in emergency situations," the pope said.

"Desiring that human beings, in their dignity and integrity, remain always at the centre of the humanitarian efforts of the Red Cross, I particularly encourage young people to commit themselves to this deserving institution."