FORMATION OF FORMATORS A PRIORITY FOR EASTERN CHURCHES, POPE SAYS, Zenit.org, VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2004

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The "formation of formators" is one of the most urgent needs of the Eastern Catholic Churches, to which the universal Church must respond with its solidarity, John Paul II said.

The Pope expressed this need when he received the participants in the annual meeting of the Assembly of Organizations for Aid to the Eastern Churches (ROACO).

Founded in 1968, ROACO offers financial support to communities of the Eastern-rite Churches, as well as to some countries of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Aid to these Eastern Christian communities is particularly urgent since "they are subjected to harsh trials because of conflicts, terrorism and other difficulties," the Holy Father said.

This year, ROACO has concentrated on aid to the Catholic communities of Iraq and to the Greek-Catholic Church of Romania.

ROACO encompasses about 30 organizations from the United States and Europe, coordinated by the Vatican Congregation for Eastern Churches.

The Pope requested that, when aid is allocated, particular importance be given to "the formation of formators."

"Your contribution," he said, "will have to take into account the great needs which often exist in the seminaries and houses of formation, and the way in which priorities vary from one ecclesial community to another."

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SUPPORT FOR CHRISTIANS OF HOLY LAND URGED, Zenit.org, VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2004

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 24, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II made an urgent appeal for aid to Christians in the Holy Land, who face a life of violence and social and economic unrest.

The Pope expressed this concern today when receiving the participants in the annual meeting of the Assembly of Organizations for Aid to the Eastern Churches (ROACO), which is under the Holy See.

"It is necessary to persevere, praying intensely for the peace of the peoples who live in Jesus' land," the Pope said.

"May those Christians, who suffer so much from the enduring violence and other numerous problems that cause economic impoverishment, social conflicts, and human and cultural humiliation, not be lacking in the support of the whole Catholic Church," he said.

The Holy Father mentioned the importance of the collection taken up in all Catholic churches on Good Friday for the Catholic communities of the Holy Land.

With this initiative, "it is possible to attend to urgent needs and to promote the spirit of mutual acceptance and respect, fostering the maturation of a common will of reconciliation," he added. "This will contribute to build the much desired peace."

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Pope commends aid to Eastern Catholic churches , CWNews.com, Vatican, Jun. 24, 2004

Vatican, Jun. 24 (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II (bio - news) met on June 24 with participants in the annual Meeting of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO), and encouraged them to persevere in their support for Eastern Christians.

The Holy Father noted that Eastern Christianity has been torn by "serious trials due to current conflicts, terrorism and other difficulties." He thanked the donors and activists who work to serve the needs of an embattled community

The Pope offers special thanks to ROACO for its aid to Christians in Iraq, and for providing support to the Byzantine-rite Romanian Catholic community. And he offered a special prayer for the Christians of the Holy Land, noting that the traditional Good Friday collection for their needs is a sign of "the previous service of solidarity with those most in need."

The Pope met with about 70 ROACO participants in the Clementine room of the apostolic palace. They were led by Cardinal Ignace Moussa I Daoud, the prefect for the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. Other participants included Archbishop Jean-Claude Perisset, the papal nuncio in Romania; and Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the new Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land.

The meeting took place under the auspices of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, which supervises the work of ROACO. The Pope commended the work of the Congregation in sustaining the Eastern Catholic churches. He called attention to the urgent need for more seminaries and houses of formation to prepare the clergy and religious of the Eastern rites.

Italian cardinal addresses Israeli Knesset, CWNews.com, Jerusalem, 22 June, 2004

Jerusalem, Jun. 22 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi (bio - news), archbishop of Milan, was received in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday, where he asked the representatives to step back from their current hardline positions in order to rediscover the path to dialog with the Palestinian people. It was the first time that an Italian cardinal had been received officially by the Israeli representatives.

"The complex reality cannot be simplified by the dreams of those who want peace. But the parties to this conflict must have the capacity on each side to reverse themselves, to move in the direction of dialog and reconciliation. To accomplish this, it is necessary to be more humble, more courageous, and wiser," the cardinal told the assembled representatives.

Cardinal Tettamanzi was in Jerusalem to take part in the "paths to peace" framework promoted by the Ecumenical Council of the Christian Churches of Milan (created in 1998 by the now-retired Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini). The cardinal also told the representatives, "In these past few days, I have encountered much suffering, but also many small experiences of peace and of reconciliation." He concluded, "It is imperative for us all to build peace in the world."

This same message of peace was repeated on Monday morning to the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah, by Gioacchino Pistone, president of the Ecumenical Council of Milan. The cardinal was not able to visit the Palestinian territory himself, because he was meeting at that time with the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Kevork Khazoumian.

Israel, Vatican resume talks toward final accord , CWNews.com, Rome, Jun. 18, 2004

Rome, Jun. 18 (CWNews.com) - Negotiations between the Holy See and the government of Israel on a financial accord will be resumed on July 5, after a long diplomatic impasse, representatives of both sides have announced.

The Vatican Secretariat of State and Israeli ambassador Oded Ben Hur joined in the June 18 announcement that efforts to reach agreement on financial issues would be reopened in Jerusalem. The negotiations broke down in August 2003, when Israeli representatives broke off the talks.

The formal announcement of renewed talks-- confirming reports that had circulated in recent weeks-- came just after the 10th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Israel and the Holy See. Those relations were opened on June 15, 1994.

The financial accord which will be discussed is one of several steps called for in the "fundamental accord" that opened relations between the Vatican and Israel. The terms of that fundamental accord have not yet been fulfilled, and Vatican officials had indicated that they had hoped to finalize the agreement before the 10th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Ambassador Ben Hur said that there is now "a complete understanding between the two parties," which suggests that the new negotiations could reach a quick agreement.

The resolution of financial issues is critical to the welfare of Christian communities in the Holy Land. This agreement-- which, according to the terms of the "fundamental accord," should have been concluded by 1995-- concerns the tax-exempt status of Christian shrines and charitable institutions.

The lack of progress on negotiations had been one of several sources of diplomatic tension between the Holy See and the Israeli state. Another cause of friction has been the Israeli government's failure to renew visas for Catholic priests and religious working in the Holy Land. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced plans to form a committee to resolve that problem; Vatican officials are still awaiting signs of a change in policy. Finally, the Vatican has expressed keen concerns about the Israeli "security wall" through Palestinian territory, which has dispossessed some Catholic communities from their land and restricted access to some churches and shrines, in an apparently violation of the terms of the fundamental accord.

When the talks on a financial agreement open in July, the Holy See's representatives will include Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the apostolic nuncio in Jerusalem, and Father David Jaeger, the spokesman for the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. If talks progress rapidly, they could be joined by the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, or his deputy, Msgr. Pietro Parolin. Israeli negotiators will include representatives of the ministries of finance and foreign affairs, as well as a representative of the prime minister.

ISRAELI AND PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITIES EYE JOINT PROJECTS, ZENIT.org, ROME, 13 June, 2004

ROME, JUNE 13, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The rectors of four pontifical universities visited Israel to build academic and cultural bridges, and, in the long term, to contribute to peace in the Holy Land.

An "unprecedented" initiative is how Oded Ben-Hur, ambassador of Israel to the Holy See, and Bishop Rino Fisichella, rector of the Lateran University, described the June 1-4 visit.

The other rectors involved were Father Franco Imoda of the Gregorian University, Father Mariano Fazio of the University of the Holy Cross, and Monsignor Giuseppe Cavallotto of the Urban University.

The rectors made contacts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Universities of Tel Aviv and Bar Ilan.

"The common desire is to do something truly concrete, presenting all our reciprocal cultural wealth," Bishop Fisichella said last Thursday, as reported by the Italian newspaper Avvenire.

The next step will be to return the invitation to the Israeli colleagues, and to try to identify some shared topics on which mixed teams can work, including the possibility of joint publications.

Ben-Hur said he thinks that an endeavor of this kind "can and must serve to disseminate greater reciprocal knowledge between Catholics and Jews of Israel."

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ISRAEL AND HOLY SEE TO RESUME TALKS, ZENIT.org, ROME, 6 June, 2004

ROME, JUNE 6, 2004 (ZENIT.org).- Representatives of the Israeli government and the Holy See will meet July 5 to resume the talks meant to fulfill the Fundamental Agreement they signed a decade ago.

The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, Oded Ben Hur, confirmed the date in an interview with AsiaNews. "Hopefully the agreement will be achieved before the end of 2004," he said.

Under the Fundamental Agreement, the Holy See accepted Israel's request to inaugurate diplomatic relations.

These relations should have marked the first step toward an agreement meant to grant to the Church more freedom in Israel. But Israel never transformed the agreement into law.

Last August, Israeli negotiators inexplicably withdrew while talks were under way with the Holy See to reach an agreement on safeguarding Church property.

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Vatican, Israel to resume negotiations on diplomatic accord , AsiaNews, 3 June, 2004

Rome, Jun. 03 (AsiaNews) - The Holy See and the government of Israel will resume negotiations on July 5, hoping to fulfill the terms of their "fundamental agreement" that the two parties signed 10 years ago, the AsiaNews site has reported.

Although the "fundamental agreement" allowed the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, the terms of that accord have never been completed. Israel has not enacted the legislation required by the agreement, nor carried through with follow-up agreements on the recognition of Church properties in the Holy Land. Last August, Israeli negotiators broke off talks with Vatican representatives, without offering any public explanation. Diplomatic tensions have been redoubled by the Israeli government's failure to renew visas for Catholic missionaries working in the Holy Land.

However, AsiaNews now reports that Oded Ben Hur, the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, has confirmed widespread rumors that negotiations will soon resume. He told AsiaNews that Israel hopes for a successful conclusion of the negotiations before the end of this year.