Church officials criticise US support for Israeli PM 19 April, 2004 CathNews

A Jerusalem Catholic official said the Palestinians' right of return to their homeland was a basic human right that cannot be taken away by the US president and Israeli prime minister.

Fr Majdi al-Siryani, legal adviser to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, was speaking last week, before the assassination of Hamaas leader Abdel Aziz Rantissi on Sunday morning Australian time.

He said the right of return "is not something you can give and take away".

"This is a basic human right, and I don't need anybody to recognise it," he said. The right of return is "not only a communal thing but also a right on the individual level."

At a press conference in Washington on Wednesday, President George Bush surprised many by backing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal that Palestinian refugees should aim to be relocated inside a negotiated Palestinian state and should not return to the lands their families fled in 1948, when Israel was established as a Jewish state.

Fr al-Siryani noted that the Palestinian right of return has been recognised in two UN resolutions. "It is not for (Bush) to decide," Fr al-Siryani said.

Meanwhile Pope John Paul II condemned the killing in the speech before yesterday's Regina Caeli prayer, which substitutes the Angelus during the Easter period.

“We must stop shedding the blood of our fellow men. Such inhuman actions go against God’s will,” he said.

The assassination has drawn widespread condemnation from many political leaders across the world, including British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. However Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told Channel 7's Sunday Sunrise program yesterday that he is "very concerned" but does not condemn the assassination.

Jerusalem, Vatican church officials criticize Bush backing of Sharon 16 April 2004 JERUSALEM (CNS)

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- A Jerusalem Catholic official said the Palestinians' right of return to their homeland was a basic human right that cannot be taken away by the U.S. president and Israeli prime minister. Father Majdi al-Siryani, legal adviser to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said the right of return "is not something you can give and take away." "This is a basic human right, and I don't need anybody to recognize it," he said. The right of return is "not only a communal thing but also a right on the individual level." At an April 14 press conference in Washington, President George W. Bush surprised many by backing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal that Palestinian refugees should aim to be relocated inside a negotiated Palestinian state and should not return to the lands their families fled in 1948, when Israel was established as a Jewish state. Father al-Siryani noted that the Palestinian right of return has been recognized in two U.N. resolutions. "It is not for (Bush) to decide," Father al-Siryani said.

Vatican official on solidarity visit to Jerusalem, 15 April 2004, CathNews

Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud arrived in Jerusalem yesterday for a five day visit designed to show solidarity with the Christians in the Holy Land.

The cardinal, who is the prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, quickly traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he was welcomed by the Franciscans who administer the Basilica of the Nativity.

Cardinal Moussa Daoud - a Syrian-rite Catholic who was the Patriarch of Antioch before his appointment to his current Vatican post - also met with Palestinian civil authorities and with representatives of other Christian groups in the region, including Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic clerics.

Yesterday afternoon, the cardinal returned to Jerusalem for a solemn visit to the Church of the Holy Speulchre. There, too, he was greeted by the Franciscans who are the official custodians of the shrine, and accompanied by Greek and Armenian Church representatives.

Later in the week the cardinal is due to meet with the Latin-rite Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, and with other leaders of the Eastern Catholic communities in the Holy Land. One Church leader in Jerusalem told AsiaNews that the visit by a ranking Vatican official was "a great pleasure to us" at a time when the Christian community in the Holy Land is facing serious trials, including a high rate of emigration.

Cardinal Moussa Daoud visit of “solidarity” to the Holy Land 14 April, 2004 ISRAEL - PALESTINE Jerusalem (AsiaNews)

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) – This morning at 9.00 a.m. Cardinal Moussa Daoud, Patriarch Emeritus of Syrian Catholics and Prefect of the Congregation of Eastern Churches, began his official visit to the Holy Land. “At such a difficult time for Catholics here in the Holy Land, a visit by an important Holy See official is a great pleasure to us. It is sign of care and eagerness,” local Church sources told AsiaNews.

Cardinal Moussa Daoud’s visit is being conducted according to strict protocol prescribed by the legal “status quo” regime in effect since Ottoman times.

At 9.00 a.m. the cardinal began the leg of his trip taking him from Jerusalem to Bethlehem where he will make his formal entrance in the Basilica of the Nativity. Welcomed and accompanied by Franciscan friars of the Holy Land Custodian, to whom the Catholic Church has entrusted the sanctuary’s care, the Cardinal has been greeted by Palestinian civil dignitaries and representatives from other Christian denominations as well as the Greek and Armenian Orthodox Churches –who will all be present at the Nativity church.

At 6.00 p.m., following a similar protocol, the cardinal will make his formal entrance in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Again he will be received and accompanied by Franciscan friars who have been entrusted with the care and officiation of this Christian holy site since 1342. Here too the cardinal will be greeted by representatives of the Greek and Armenian Orthodox Churches who share the sanctuary with the Catholic Church (as is the case with the Basilica of the Nativity).

During his stay in the Holy Land Cardinal Daoud, in charge of the ministry overseeing the territory, will have to meet with the Latin-rite Patriarch of Jerusalem, as well as with the Franciscan Holy Land Custodian and Eastern Church prelates. Courtesy calls are also scheduled to be made with Greek and Armenian Orthodox Patriarchs.

Vatican official on "solidarity" visit to Jerusalem Jerusalem, Apr. 14 (CWNews.com)

Jerusalem, Apr. 14 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud arrived in Jerusalem on April 14, for a 5-day visit that is designed to show solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land.

The cardinal, who is the prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, quickly traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, where he was welcomed by the Franciscans who administer the Basilica of the Nativity.

Cardinal Moussa Daoud-- a Syrian-rite Catholic who was the Patriarch of Antioch before his appointment to his current Vatican post-- also met with Palestinian civil authorities and with representatives of other Christian groups in the region, including Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic clerics.

On Wednesday afternoon, the cardinal returned to Jerusalem for a solemn visit to the Church of the Holy Speulchre. There, too, he was greeted by the Franciscans who are the official custodians of the shrine, and accompanied by Greek and Armenian Church representatives.

Later in the week the cardinal is due to meet with the Latin-rite Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, and with other leaders of the Eastern Catholic communities in the Holy Land. One Church leader in Jerusalem remarked to the AsiaNews service that the visit by a ranking Vatican official was "a great pleasure to us" at a time when the Christian community in the Holy Land is facing serious trials, including a high rate of emigration.

An Easter story in Jerusalem: Israel accused of discriminating against Catholic priests By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem and Peter Popham in Rome, 09 April 2004, Independent Digital (UK) Ltd

As it has on the eve of every Easter for the best part of nine centuries, a procession of clergy wound its way yesterday afternoon behind a tall silver cross through the alleys of Jerusalem's Old City from the Latin Patriarchate for the three-hour Holy Thursday mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The scene could hardly have been more peaceful as the priests, led by a traditional detachment of guards in pantaloons of the Ottoman era, arrived for the mass close to Christ's tomb. But the mass, of particular importance in the ancient diocese's calendar because it is the one at which its priests traditionally renew their vows, took place this year against the background of simmering discontent within the Church over widespread delays in the granting of more than 100 visas by Israel to Roman Catholic clergy.

Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch, head of a diocese which covers Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and the first Palestinian to hold the post since it was established in 1099, warned last Monday that the delays were an issue which "concerns the survival of the churches here". He added that they threatened "complete paralysis for the church which means it is an existential question".

Senior Catholics in Rome and Jerusalem said yesterday the delays breached an agreement between the Vatican and Israel in 1993 guaranteeing the rights and freedoms for the Church in the holy land.

The hold-ups, which have left dozens of priests without legal status in Israel and the occupied territories, mostly apply to clergy already in the country. But they have also prevented transfers within the diocese between Jordan and Israel as well as causing hold ups and detentions at checkpoints - of priests and at least one nun - attempting to travel between the West Bank and Gaza to Israel and vice versa.

The majority of the diocese's 400,000-strong congregation are Christian Palestinians. In Rome yesterday, Fr David Jaeger, the official spokesman for the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, said the fundamental agreement in 1993 had not yet been enshrined into Israeli law and that in August last year Israel had pulled out of follow-up negotiations designed to reach a detailed agreement on taxation and property rights for the Roman Catholic Church in Israel. He said: "This is a treaty obligation. In the '93 treaty is assumed a solemn treaty obligations to negotiate precisely such an agreement. There is no way to explain non compliance in such an obligation."

Fr Jaeger added that in 1994, the parties had already foreseen a further agreement on the detailed arrangements on the entry and sojourn in Israel of international church personnel. The further agreement on visas and residence permits has not happened, and over the past two years, there has been an increasing number of cases in which international church personnel are not having residence permits routinely renewed.

He said: "It is without precedent in international relations to walk out on a treaty obligation ... This is not just a legal matter: the fundamental agreement was signed in the context of a renewed relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people and it was the Israeli delegation that insisted on this being ... the context."

He also suggested that the tax exemption which the Vatican enjoys by virtue of treaties and UN resolutions in the US and Britain only have de facto status in Israel because they are also not enshrined in UK law. He said that bills of municipal rates had accumulated which if ever called in by Israel, "we would be wiped out".

The Patriarchate said that of 138 people waiting for visas, 54 are from Western and Asian countries, while 84 are from Arab countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority. The Interior Minister, Avraham Poraz, has given instructions to speed up the process but acknowledges that some Arab visa applicants are receiving particular scrutiny. Tova Ellinson, an Interior Ministry spokeswoman, said: "The policy of the ministry is not to cause delays but to give the best treatment possible." The Foreign Ministry also said that Sylvan Shalom was seeking a speedy resolution to the problem "which is technical and bureaucratic in nature".

Fr Shawki Baterian, Chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate, said yesterday in Jerusalem that the delays were damaging the pastoral work of the diocese by restricting travel by the clergy. He said that he knew of at least one priest who had been prevented from reaching the Holy Sepulchre mass yesterday because he did not have a visa.

"We understand the need of Israel to carry out security checks but this is causing embarrassment to priests who are without visas and goes against the agreement of Israel to the freedom of clergy in the Holy Land." He added that Mr Poraz had said he would expedite the granting of visas "but so far this has not been implemented".

Brother Myron Collins, one of the De La Salle Brothers, an order based in Bethlehem, who is American, said yesterday that a group of the brothers who had been waiting for their visas to be renewed since applying last November, had all received their new visas last week - except for one, Brother Jean Manuel who is a Palestinian. He said: "My personal opinion is that Israel is doing this because it wants to punish the Palestinians and make them go away."

Brother Myron said another brother who had been waiting for a visa, Brother Cyril Litecky, had been stopped at a checkpoint while travelling to Jerusalem. "He stopped going after that because he was frightened he wouldn't be able to get back." He said it was "not an impossibility" the other brothers, Americans and Britons, had received visas because of the impending talks with President George Bush next week by the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon.

The hold-ups have even drawn accusations from one priest, Father Robert Fortin - denied by the government - that they flow from a desire to reinforce the Jewish character of the state by reducing the number of Christians.

Church Officials Say Israel Delaying Visas, By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Published: April 7, 2004, Filed at 4:45 p.m. ET

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has delayed granting visas to dozens of Roman Catholic clergy, church officials said Wednesday, and Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah called it an issue of survival for the church in the Holy Land.

Father Robert Fortrin, a church official, said the visa applications of 138 Catholic clergy — many of them Arabs — have been held up by Israel's Interior Ministry, a 60 percent increase since last year in the number of visas delayed.

Fortrin said Interior Minister Avraham Poraz promised to solve the problem, but so far there have been no results.

On Monday, Sabbah, the top Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, said the visa delays were undermining the ability of the church to function.

"The (visa) issue concerns the survival of the churches here," said Sabbah, a Palestinian.'' So it will be complete paralysis for the church, which means it's an existential question for the church."

The Latin Patriarchate presides over about 400,000 Roman Catholics in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jordan.

Tova Ellinson, spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry, said Arab visa applicants were undergoing special scrutiny, and that this explained some of the delays.

"The minister has given instructions to ease procedures," she said. "Arab applications are given to the relevant authorities. The policy of the ministry is not to cause delays but to give the best treatment possible."

Fortrin said of 138 applicants waiting for visas, 54 were from Western and Asian countries, and 84 were from Arab countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority.

He also cited two cases in which Catholic clergy were harassed by Israeli security forces.

A Polish priest was taken off a bus in Tel Aviv and arrested by immigration police on March 15, Fortrin said. Two weeks earlier, a 74-year-old nun was removed from her car and verbally bullied by border policewomen at a Jerusalem shopping mall, he said.

Fortrin said the priest had told police that his application for an extension was pending, but was ignored. He said he was not familiar with the nun's visa status.

Immigration police spokesman Rafi Yaffee said foreigners without valid visas were treated in line with the provisions of the law, and this is what happened in the case of the Polish priest.

A police spokesman in Jerusalem said he was not familiar with the incident involving the nun.

Fortrin said Israel's treatment of Catholic clergy violates a 1993 Israeli-Vatican agreement, which allows the church to appoint and deploy personnel to carry out religious, educational and charitable functions in the Holy Land.

"There are lots of people who have come to the conclusion that there is a desire to reduce the number of Christians in the country to reinforce Jewish character of state," he said.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Fortrin's allegation was nonsense.

"This is a secular government," the official said. "The Ministry of the Interior itself is in the hands of an extremely secular party."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said the visa problem was the responsibility of the Interior Ministry, but Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom was trying to find a solution.

"The Foreign Ministry is interested in bringing a speedy resolution to the problem, which is technical and bureaucratic in nature," he said.

Holy Land procession draws fewer pilgrims in era of intifada 6 April, 2004 JERUSALEM (CNS)

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Although the annual Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem attracted a smaller crowd than in the years before the intifada, several thousand pilgrims were able to participate in the annual trek. Israeli police flanked the April 4 procession, while Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah brought up the rear. Several groups of pilgrims from Germany, Italy, France and Hong Kong participated in the procession; their music and song intertwined with the Arabic hymns sung by local Catholics. In past years, the procession attracted some 10,000 people, including many foreign pilgrims. "This is the land of the Bible; it is the land of Jesus," said Ortrua Kniezel, 68, a Catholic from Cologne, Germany. "This is not the first time I have come here, so I am not afraid."