POPE ENTRUSTS INSTITUTE IN JERUSALEM TO LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST, Notre Dame Center a Sign of Holy See's Presence in Mideast VATICAN CITY, NOV. 29, 2004 (Zenit.org)

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 29, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II entrusted to the Legionaries of Christ the direction and administration of the Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center, the Holy See's religious, charitable, cultural and educational institute in that city.

The Pope communicated his decision through a document issued "motu propio" (on his own initiative) and handed it to the religious congregation's founder, Father Marcial Maciel, on Friday, the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination.

The Holy Father explains in the text that the Notre Dame Center is an expression of his spiritual closeness to all the ecclesial and human realities in the Holy Land.

The pontifical institute is dedicated to offering "hospitality to pilgrims from all parts of the world who visit the Holy Land, especially the clergy and consecrated persons," the papal document stated. It is also a "privileged place of meeting and dialogue among religions, cultures and peoples."

The Notre Dame Center, whose construction was finished in 1904, has been the property of the Holy See since 1970. On Dec. 13, 1978, John Paul II signed a decree establishing it as a pontifical institute and ecumenical center.

The institute is located close to the Holy Sepulcher. The center houses the public library of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, a school of hotel services, and a school of information technology.

The center can accommodate 280 pilgrims, and has conference and meeting rooms and one of the largest and most modern auditoriums in Jerusalem.

John Paul II concludes his document "commending this new apostolate of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in the Holy Land to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, under whose protection the Pontifical Institute has been placed, since its foundation."

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JERUSALEM'S CATHOLIC HOSPITAL WINS PAPAL PRAISE VATICAN CITY, NOV. 21, 2004 (Zenit.org)

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 21, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II encouraged the service to "human dignity" offered by St. Joseph's Hospital, the only such Catholic facility in Jerusalem.

The Pope expressed his gratitude Saturday when receiving in audience the members of the hospital's international board of trustees.

"I take this opportunity to encourage you, and all associated with the work of the hospital, always to give the best of yourselves in generous service to the sick, with the greatest respect for their human dignity and their unique value in the eyes of God," the Holy Father said when welcoming his guests.

"I appreciate the praiseworthy sense of solidarity and concern for the needs of the Palestinian community which led to the establishment of St. Joseph's as the only Catholic hospital in Jerusalem," he added in his English-language address. "May the hospital continue to find moral and material support both in the Holy Land and abroad."

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Call to Christians: Pilgrims, come to the Holy Land, 19 November, 2004, ISRAEL - PALESTINE – HOLY LAND, Jerusalem (AsiaNews)

Representatives of all Churches: "The West, driven by secularism, is forgetting Christians".

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) -- "A call to all people of faith: Visit the Holy Land". This is the title of a document signed by representatives of different Christian denominations in Jerusalem this week, to encourage Christians around the world to resume visits to the Holy Sites.

On Monday, November 13, the Custodian of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, papal representative Archbishop Pietro Sambi, and representatives of the Greek and Russian Orthodox, Armenian and Protestant Churches signed a joint statement urging Christians of the world to visit the Holy Land and, thus, contribute to preventing the exodus of Christians from these areas. It is the first time that Christians jointly sign a document of this kind.

"There are many things that divide Christians, but there are many more that unite us. The Holy Land is one of these," Fr. Pizzaballa said, echoing Pope John XXIII's famous phrase.

Archbishop Sambi referred to pilgrimages to the Holy Sites as times of "joy and spiritual enrichment", saying that they offer both spiritual and material encouragement to the small Christian communities there. Many Christian Palestinians in fact make a living thanks to religious tourism to the Holy Sites. Furthermore, pilgrims can create "an atmosphere of peace" that can contribute to "defusing the ever-tense political situation between Israelis and Palestinians."

The document bemoans the flight of Christians from the Holy Land. Today they make up only 1.6% of the population. "Along with the Christian exodus the Christian vision of man regarding the respect for the human person and human life is also disappearing, in a region in which these values are in open decline", the document states. It also laments the inaction of "governments of the Christian West", which, "driven by a false vision of religious freedom and perhaps by an exacerbated secularism," forget to help Christians and come to the aid of Palestinians for merely ideological and political motives. Speaking in support of the document, Israel's Minister of Tourism, Gideon Ezra, provided figures on the decline of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land. This decline has been the result of security problems related to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. In 2000, Christians made up 60% of the 2.6 million tourists in Israel. In 2004, the percentage fell to 29. (LF)

POPE ADVOCATES A RECONCILED AND PEACEFUL HOLY LAND Sends Message on Occasion of Arafat's Death , VATICAN CITY, NOV. 11, 2004 (Zenit.org)

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 11, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Pope expressed his wish for peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land after news had reached him of Yassar Arafat's death.

"At this hour of sadness at the passing of President Yasser Arafat, His Holiness Pope John Paul is particularly close to the deceased's family, the authorities, and the Palestinian people, [w]hile entrusting his soul into the hands of the almighty and merciful God," the message said.

The note of condolence was sent on Thursday on behalf of the Pope by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican Secretary of State, to Rawhi Fatthu, president of the Palestinian Parliament.

In the text, the Pontiff "prays to the Prince of Peace that the star of harmony will soon shine on the Holy Land and that the two peoples dwelling therein may live reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign" states.

Shortly after the announcement of the death of the Palestinian leader, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls published a statement in which he remembered Arafat as "a leader of great charisma, who loved his people and sought to lead it towards national independence.

"May God welcome in His mercy the soul of the illustrious deceased and give peace to the Holy Land, with two independent and sovereign States, fully reconciled with each other," said the director of the Vatican press office.

Pope John Paul II and Yasser Arafat met 12 times during the Pope's 26-year pontificate. The first occasion was on Sept. 15, 1982, and the last was on Oct. 30, 2001. The Palestinian leader and the Holy Father also met in Bethlehem during the Pontiff's pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March 2000.

At these meetings, the Holy Father emphasized the need to guarantee the security of the Israelis as well as the right of Palestinians to a sovereign state.

On Oct. 25, 1994, the Holy See announced that the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Holy See would exchange representations to be "open channels for continuing the development of mutual relations, understanding, and cooperation."

On Feb. 15, 2000, John Paul II received Arafat and a delegation of the Palestinian National Authority to sign the Basic Agreement Between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The agreement addresses juridical questions regarding the presence and activity of the Catholic Church in the territory dependent on the Palestinian government.

Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem said on Vatican Radio on Thursday that Yasser Arafat personally intervened several times in disputes to guarantee Catholics' right to religious freedom in the territories of the Palestinian National Authority.

Marcello Filotei, writing in the Italian edition of L'Osservatore Romano, underlined as a great achievement of Arafat's his participation in the signing of the Declaration of Principles together with Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli prime minister at the White House in September 1993.

After the failure of the Wye River agreements in 1998, and the start of the new intifada in September 2000, Arafat's leadership became debatable, according to Filotei.

He said that on one hand, Israel and the United States urged greater firmness against terrorism; and on the other, radical Palestinian sectors regarded Arafat as too "condescending" in the negotiations.

The article added that there were also accusations of corruption within the Palestinian National Authority, which Arafat himself denounced a few weeks before his death.

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Papal sympathy to Palestinians on Arafat death , CathNews

Upon learning of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat yesterday, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano sent a telegram of condolences in the name of Pope John Paul II to Rawhi Fattuh, president of the Palestinian Legislative Council, expressing the Holy Father’s closeness to the Palestinian people.

"At this hour of sadness at the passing of President Yasser Arafat,” reads the telegram, “His Holiness Pope John Paul is particularly close to the deceased's family, the Authorities and the Palestinian People.

“While entrusting his soul into the hands of the Almighty and Merciful God, the Holy Father prays to the Prince of Peace that the star of harmony will soon shine on the Holy Land and that the two Peoples dwelling therein may live reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign.

In another statement, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls described Arafar as "a leader of great charisma who loved his people and sought to lead them towards national independence".

"May God welcome in His mercy the soul of the illustrious deceased and give peace to the Holy Land, with two independent and sovereign States, fully reconciled with each other," he said.

Yasser Arafat met Pope John Paul II 12 times between, including a meeting in Bethlehem during the Holy Father’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March 2000.

In 1994 the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), in order to remain "open channels for continuing the development of mutual relations, understanding and cooperation, gave the “already long-existing and fruitful working contacts a permanent and official character,” and an office of representation for the PLO was opened at the Holy See.

On February 15, 2000, John Paul II and Arafat signed a Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestinian Liberation Organization dealing with certain juridical questions regarding the Church’s activity in Palestinian Authority territory.

Meanwhile Christians in Ramallah were "saddened" by the news. Last night Christians and Muslims gathered in Ramallah for a candlelight vigil to pray for Yasser Arafat. The pastor of the Latin-rite Holy Family Parish, Fr Ibrahim Hijazin, told AsiaNews, "the funeral knell of our church will toll all day for our President".

Vatican reiterates desire for two independent and reconciled states in Holy Land , VATICAN CITY, Vatican, Nov. 11, 2004 (CNA)

VATICAN CITY, Vatican, Nov. 11, 2004 (CNA) - The Vatican issued a statement following the death of Palestinian National Authority president Yasser Arafat, who passed away this morning in a military hospital in Paris at the age of 75, asking for peace in the Holy Land and for “two independent and sovereign States, fully reconciled with each other."

Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls, who read the statement, said “the Holy See joins in the pain of the Palestinian people.”

Arafat, he continued, “was a leader of great charisma who loved his people and sought to lead them towards national independence.”

“May God welcome in His mercy the soul of the illustrious deceased and give peace to the Holy Land, with two independent and sovereign States, fully reconciled with each other," he said.

Yasser Arafat has met Pope John Paul II 12 times between September 15, 1982 and October 30, 2001, including a meeting in Bethlehem during the Holy Father’s pilgrimmage to the Holy Land in March of 2000.

In 1994 the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), in order to remain "open channels for continuing the development of mutual relations, understanding and cooperation, gave the “already long-existing and fruitful working contacts a permanent and official character,” and an office of representation for the PLO was opened at the Holy See.

On February 15, 2000, John Paul II and Arafat signed a Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestinian Liberation Organization dealing with certain juridical questions regarding the Church’s activity in Palestinian Authority territory.

Pope, Vatican mourn Arafat , Vatican, Nov. 11 (CWNews.com)

Vatican, Nov. 11 (CWNews.com) - Responding to the news of Yasser Arafat's death, the Vatican issued statements of condolence to the Palestinian people, and appreciation for Arafat's record of leadership.

In a telegram to Rawhi Fattuh, the president of the Palestinian legislative council, Pope John Paul II (bio - news) mentioned his "sadness at the passing" of Arafat, and was "entrusting his soul into the hands of the almighty and merciful God." The Pope voiced his hope that "the star of harmony will soon shine on the Holy Land," with Israel and Palestinian living peacefully "as two independent and sovereign states."

Cardinal Angelo Sodano (bio - news), who sent the Pope's condolences in his capacity as Secretary of State, signed the message added a personal note: "To the condolences of his Holiness, I cordially join my own."

The death of the Palestinian leader was announced Wednesday afternoon from the Paris hospital where he had been confined since October 29. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the director of the Vatican press office, responded immediately, saying: "The Holy See joins in the pain of the Palestinian people," characterizing him as "a leader of great charisma who loved his people and sought to lead them toward national independence."

Arafat met with Pope John Paul II on 10 separate occasions, including 8 visits to the Vatican. Their first meeting was in September 1982; the most recent was in October 2001. During one such encounter, in February 1999, Arafar issued an invitation for the Pope to visit Bethlehem during the Jubilee Year; the Pontiff accepted that invitation, and stopped at Bethlehem during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March 2000.

Born in Cairo in 1929, Yasser Arafat emerged as a leader of Palestinian students during his training as an engineer. He was a co-founder of the Al Fatah movement in 1959, and gained control of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1969.

After years of open hostilities against Israel, Arafat announced in 1988 that he was renouncing armed conflict, and recognizing the legitimacy of the Jewish state. In 1993 he won the Nobel Peace Prize, along with his Israeli counterparts Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, for hammering out a tentative peace plan on the basis of the Oslo accords. But with the election of Benyamin Netanyahou as Israeli prime minister in 1995, the progress toward a lasting peace past stalled, and relations between Arafat and the Israeli leadership sharply deteriorated. During his final months Arafat was confined to his PLO headquarters in Ramallah, closely watched by Israeli troops.

Under the fundamental law of the Palestinian Authority, Rawhi Fattuh, the recipient of the Pope's message, replaces the deceased Arafat on an interim basis until elections can be held to select a new president, which must take place within 60 days. Among the leading candidates for the leadership post are Mahmoud Abbas (known as Abou Mazen), the secretary-general of the PLO executive committee; and Ahmade Qorei, the Palestinian prime minister.

Pope sends condolences to Palestinian people upon death of Yasser Arafat, VATICAN CITY, Vatican, Nov. 11, 2004 (CNA)

VATICAN CITY, Vatican, Nov. 11, 2004 (CNA) - Upon learning of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat this morning, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, sent a telegram of condolences in the name of Pope John Paul II to Rawhi Fattuh, president of the Palestinian Legislative Council, expressing the Holy Father’s closeness to the Palestinian people.

"At this hour of sadness at the passing of President Yasser Arafat,” reads the telegram, “His Holiness Pope John Paul is particularly close to the deceased's family, the Authorities and the Palestinian People.

“While entrusting his soul into the hands of the Almighty and Merciful God, the Holy Father prays to the Prince of Peace that the star of harmony will soon shine on the Holy Land and that the two Peoples dwelling therein may live reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign."

He led his people towards independence, Navarro says, May God bring peace to the Holy Land with two free states. , 11 November, 2004 VATICAN-PALESTINE Vatican City (AsiaNews)

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – a leader who loved his people and led it towards independence. This is how Joaquín Navarro-Valls, Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, describes Yasser Arafat in a statement in which he called on God to bring peace to the Holy Land “with two independent and sovereign states, fully reconciled with one another”.

“The Holy See,” Navarro said, “joins the Palestinian people in its hour sorrow for the death of President Yasser Arafat. He was a charismatic leader who led his people and sought to guide it towards national independence.

May God in his Mercy welcome the soul of the great leader and grant peace to the Holy Land with two independent and sovereign states, fully reconciled with one another”.

Arafat and Catholic Church, a relationship that never came to fruition by Bernardo Cervellera, Christians are subject to discrimination, violence, abductions. Yet the Basic Agreement with the Holy See is among the best documents on Church/State relations in the Islamic world., 10 November, 2004 EDITORIAL PALESTINE - VATICAN Rome (AsiaNews)

Rome (AsiaNews) - With Arafat’s passing, many questions remain open in the relationship between Palestinian leadership and the Catholic Church. Despite the Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestinian Authority, perhaps the best among the few such treaties that safeguard the Christian presence in Arab countries where Muslims are the majority, there is no lack of problems.

Of the approximately 3.5 million Arabs in Palestinian territories, some 40,000 are Christian. In various areas, these Christians live in what amounts to conditions of constant discrimination. Often, Christian property (dozens of homes and thousands of hectors of lands by many accounts) gets confiscated by Muslim Palestinians, as the relevant authorities stand by in complete indifference to such injustices. And, at times, local officials themselves are implicated in misappropriations and other thievery. Christians in Bethlehem, Bet Sahour, Bet Jala and Gaza have been victims of physical violence, including rape, as well as harassment: their faith is ridiculed, they find themselves forced not only to respect Islamic religious practice, but also to kiss the Koran and define themselves “Muslims” under the threat of violence.

Ecclesiastic leaders in the area, including the Latin Patriarch himself, Monsignor Michel Sabbah, let President Arafat know about a long list of discriminations and harassment, but to no avail.

Promises were not lacking in the PLO leader’s relationship with Christians, promises that were perhaps neglected or honoured only halfway. In the early days of his leadership within the Palestinian movement, Arafat distinguished himself for wanting to create a secular and democratic state. Secularity is certainly the best guarantee for the Church and Christians in the Middle East.

In recent years, however, under the effects of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Palestinian commitment to secularity has been at risk. Palestine’s draft Constitution itself is no longer rigorous about secularity and pluralism and risks moving more in an Islamic direction. In fact, the draft not only indicates Palestine’s affiliation with Arab nations (as is perfectly natural from a geographic and cultural point of view), but also foresees its affiliation with Islamic states. Church commentators have, on various occasion, pointed out to President Arafat that a secular state – in which Christians share along with Muslims full rights of citizenship – cannot define itself to be integrated with Islamic countries.

Even certain political decisions, designed to indicate the state’s good will vis-à-vis the Christian minority, have not been entirely in line with the concept of state secularity. The best example? The decision to reserve seats in the National Assembly to Christian representatives, for the purpose of ensuring a Christian presence in parliament. Such a gesture can be seen as a sign of solidarity with Christian, but risks reproducing a model of “confessional” representation that goes against the concept of state secularity.

Relations between the Palestinian Authority and the Catholic Church are governed by the Basic Agreement signed, on February 15, 2000, by the Holy See and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) on behalf of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). This treaty, which came into immediate effect, covers all the basic principles that regulate relations between the Palestinian government and the Catholic Church; for example it ensures that acquired rights are maintained, and that freedom of religion and of conscience is respected, along with equality among citizens regardless of religious affiliation.

Under article 4, the Agreement also refers to a very specific topic: respect for and maintenance of the legal code of the internationally recognized Holy Sites. This code is known as the Status Quo. Specifically, article 4 deals with Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity Church, the main Christian shrine on Palestinian territory.

According to international law, the pro-tempore Palestinian civil authorities are obliged to maintain the Status Quo. But, questions remain open on this front as well. For example, an incident that took place in the spring of 2002 serves as a good indictor of the PNA’s will, or lack thereof, to protect religious freedom. Two years ago, monks of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate stationed in Bethlehem stole the lock of the main entrance to the Nativity Church, replacing it with their own lock, thus depriving the Catholic Church and the Armenian Church of the right to have that church’s key. That right is part of the Status Quo, recognized by article 4 of the Basic Agreement. After months of useless negotiations with the Greek Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church officially petitioned President Arafat on April 12, 2003, through a letter by the Custodian of the Holy Land, asking that the Palestinian Authority intervene to recover the stolen lock. The letter officially invoked the Basic Agreement, and specifically article 4. The then-Custodian, Father Battistelli, followed up the letter by meeting personally with Arafat and with the papal representative. Arafat named an ad hoc commission to look into the problem. This commission recently recognized the validity of the Catholic Church’s claim and was about to issue a definitive decree that would have obliged the Greek Orthodox to return the stolen lock, but the Palestinian government has yet, in effect, to ensure the lock’s return. This is a matter that the new Palestinian government will have to expedite on an urgent basis, if it wants to maintain its credentials for respecting international commitments. The key, in itself, can seem a trivial matter. Instead, it will be a test in credibility for the Palestinian Authority. The very existence of the Church in the Holy Land depends on respect for the Status Quo and, in this case, its respect depends solely on the PNA. Failure to uphold the Status Quo can be blamed on neither occupation nor armed conflict.

Violence against Christians and guarantees on the Holy Sites of Christianity are two fundamental indicators of what kind of state the future Palestinian Republic may turn out to be. In speaking at an Islamo-Christian meeting in Ramallah last August, Patriarch Sabbah said, “Rapid and decisive action is needed to contrast the attempts of those who seek to exploit the situation to create further damage and destruction in this land and against its people”. “The risk is,” the Patriarch said, “that onlookers worldwide, in seeing what happens, will reach the conclusion that the Palestinian Authority is unable to protect all its citizens and therefore does not deserve to become an actual state.”

HOLY SEE ADDRESSES U.N. ON PEACE IN HOLY LAND "A Lot of Peacemaking Rhetoric but Very Little Political Will", NEW YORK, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org)

NEW YORK, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address delivered Monday by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, to the 4th Commission of the U.N. General Assembly on "U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East."

* * *

Mr. Chairman,

My delegation would like to begin by expressing its appreciation of the Report of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, and of the work of the agency itself over the last year.

For those of us who follow this question, the content of the report will be all too familiar. We come to this forum once again to review the delivery of human services amid an unending cycle of violence and terrorism, military action and reaction, in effect a series of retaliations which begets more violence. At this point UNRWA and many other agencies including the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, through the generosity of the international community, are providing services to the refugees which in normal circumstances would be the responsibility of local authorities.

A realistic analysis of the situation finds that there is a lot of peacemaking rhetoric but very little political will shown in the resolution of differences. The reluctance of the international community to challenge the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to negotiate in good faith has contributed to the fact that the Road Map has not taken off.

Without these much-needed negotiations, there are no opportunities for reconciliation, forgiveness, compromise or collaboration, all prerequisites for a lasting peace in the region. Communication is essential for bringing together the parties at difference. There is no way in which a policy of continued separation will bring about peace. In such a negative milieu UNRWA and the other humanitarian agencies must continue to provide services to the refugees.

My delegation, Mr. Chairman, is keenly aware of the difficulties experienced by UNRWA in delivering meaningful services to the refugee population so adversely affected by this "undeclared war." The Pontifical Mission for Palestine, in conjunction with its collaborator Catholic agencies throughout the USA and Europe, has been serving for 55 years the same suffering population of refugees by addressing the problems of unemployment, access to education and medical services.

With a view to restoring dignity to the unemployed in the area, it has initiated labor-intensive programs to give them meaningful work. Through municipal projects they restore and rehabilitate infrastructure often damaged as a result of violence and armed conflict. Such programs also serve to strengthen local institutions.

Mr. Chairman, it is the hope of my delegation that any solution found to resolve this multifaceted problem should include the question of the holy city of Jerusalem. In light of the numerous incidents of violence and the challenge to free movement posed by the Wall, with checkpoints and curfews, the Holy See renews its call for "internationally guaranteed provisions to ensure the freedom of religion and of conscience of its inhabitants, as well as permanent, free and unhindered access to the holy places by the faithful of all religions and nationalities" (A/RES/ES-10/2). Jerusalem, the holy city, is the common patrimony of the believing world and whoever has custody of the holy city is accountable for it to the international community. Its governance should not be considered solely a matter for one or other authority.

Current levels of violence have caused pilgrims to stay away from the Holy Land, imposing ever more severe economic penalties on all the people of the region, besides hindering the right of people from all over the world to visit and pray at the religious sites. My delegation notes, in particular, that the local population does not always have free access to the shrines and holy places.

Mr. Chairman, the proposed Road Map has not yet brought peace to the region. When we consider the ongoing violence, the economic depression, restrictions on movement and lack of access to religious sites, it is hardly surprising that many feel obliged to leave the region definitively. It is painful to see that a land once entrusted with a message of love, life, brotherhood and peace, called by many a Holy Land, in these times sends a very different message to the world, one of division, destruction and death.

The family of nations must challenge all the actors concerned to renew their efforts to bring peace to the region. Only with a just and lasting peace -- not imposed but secured through negotiation -- will the legitimate aspirations of all the peoples of that land be fulfilled. Such an outcome depends greatly on the courageous readiness of those responsible to move to new attitudes of compromise which comply with the demands of justice.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[Original text: English] ZE04110220

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WORLD PRESSURE SEEN LACKING IN "ROAD MAP" FOR MIDEAST PEACE Holy See Official Addresses a Committee of the U.N. General Assembly, NEW YORK, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org)

NEW YORK, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See says that the lack of international pressure has led to the failure to date of the "road map" for peace in the Holy Land.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations, addressed the 4th Commission of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday on "U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East."

The Holy See's observer said that only these negotiations will lead to reconciliation.

"A realistic analysis of the situation finds that there is a lot of peacemaking rhetoric but very little political will shown in the resolution of differences," he said.

"The reluctance of the international community to challenge the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to negotiate in good faith has contributed to the fact that the road map has not taken off," the papal representative added.

"Without these much needed negotiations, there are no opportunities for reconciliation, forgiveness, compromise or collaboration, all prerequisites for a lasting peace in the region. Communication is essential for bringing together the parties at difference. There is no way in which a policy of continued separation will bring about peace," the archbishop said.

The "road map" is an agreement under the aegis of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.

The agreement tries to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at the political, economic, humanitarian and security level, including the establishment of an independent and democratic Palestinian state. It does not foresee the return of Palestinian refugees.

Archbishop Migliore took advantage of the occasion to remind his audience that the solution to the conflict in the Holy Land includes "the question of the holy city of Jerusalem."

"In light of the numerous incidents of violence and the challenge to free movement posed by the Wall, with checkpoints and curfews, the Holy See renews its call for internationally guaranteed provisions to ensure the freedom of religion and of conscience of its inhabitants, as well as permanent, free and unhindered access to the Holy Places by the faithful of all religions and nationalities," he said.

"Jerusalem, the holy city, is the common patrimony of the believing world and whoever has custody of the holy city is accountable for it to the international community. Its governance should not be considered solely a matter for one or other authority," the Holy See official continued.

"Current levels of violence have caused pilgrims to stay away from the Holy Land, imposing ever more severe economic penalties on all the people of the region, besides hindering the right of people from all over the world to visit and pray at the religious sites," the archbishop observed.

Moreover, he lamented "that the local population does not always have free access to the shrines and holy places."

"When we consider the ongoing violence, the economic depression, restrictions on movement and lack of access to religious sites, it is hardly surprising that many feel obliged to leave the region definitively," he said. "It is painful to see that a land once entrusted with a message of love, life, brotherhood and peace, called by many a Holy Land, in these times sends a very different message to the world, one of division, destruction and death."

"The family of nations must challenge all the actors concerned to renew their efforts to bring peace to the region," he added.

"Only with a just and lasting peace -- not imposed but secured through negotiation -- will the legitimate aspirations of all the peoples of that land be fulfilled," Archbishop Migliore said. "Such an outcome depends greatly on the courageous readiness of those responsible to move to new attitudes of compromise which comply with the demands of justice." ZE04110204

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PROPERTY TAX QUESTION STILL UNRESOLVED IN ISRAEL Holy See Joins 2 Days of Talks in Jerusalem, JERUSALEM, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org)

JERUSALEM, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The question of the Church's access to civil courts and its payment of municipal property taxes in Israel remains unresolved, following recent talks with Israel.

Though no official statement was released, nor any mention made in the local media, delegations of the Holy See and Israel held two days of negotiations in Jerusalem, Oct. 27-28.

AsiaNews sources said the talks took place "in a very cordial atmosphere and there has been some progress on questions of a technical-juridical nature."

Unresolved, however, is Israel's refusal to guarantee the Church access to the courts to protect religious properties and the issue of municipal property taxes, of which the Church is exempt -- a fact that Israel does not recognize -- as established by the United Nations.

"The guarantee to access to judicial power for the resolution of all disputes and controversies involving ecclesiastical property is an essential requirement of principle because it entails one of the foundations of the rule of law," explained Father David Jaeger, an expert in juridical issues of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Controversies involving property law "must be decided by an independent judicial power and not by politicians," the Franciscan said told AsiaNews, an agency of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

"I hope as a jurist but also as an Israeli, that on this point Israel will be faithful to the idea that it holds of itself: that of a lawful state," he said.

Regarding the municipal property tax, Father Jaeger said that it is legally impossible for Israel to contravene U.N. declarations, mentioned in Israel's own Declaration of Independence.

Moreover, the "Church does not have and will not have the money to pay for taxes because it gets by mainly on charity from Catholics around the world," added the Franciscan spokesman.

The state's expectation that the Church pay municipal property taxes "could entail a reduction of the Church's presence in the area," Father Jaeger warned. "I hope this is not anyone's aim."

The juridical expert of the Custody of the Holy Land said, however, that past experience gives reason for optimism. "By the good will of both parties, these negotiations will give a positive outcome, with due respect for the rights of both parties," he said.

"The fact remains that recognition of the validity of the Fundamental Agreement, signed by both parties in 1993, depends on the conclusion of the current negotiations," he noted.

Under the 1993 agreement, the Holy See accepted Israel's request to establish diplomatic relations.

The document articulates the regulatory principles of relations between the Church and the state, while its implementation was postponed until a series of complementary agreements -- negotiated successively -- ensures the freedom and rights of the Church in Israeli territory.

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WHY PILGRIMS ARE CRUCIAL FOR CHRISTIANS IN HOLY LAND According to Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem, JERUSALEM, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org)

JERUSALEM, NOV. 2, 2004 (Zenit.org).- The apostolic delegate in Jerusalem says that the resumption of pilgrimages to the Holy Land is crucial to ending the exodus of Christians.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi explained the situation in the Holy Land to a group of Spanish journalists who were in Jerusalem on an institutional pilgrimage.

"Christians in the Holy Land are a small minority, only 2% of the population," he said. "They feel themselves a minority in the face of the great Jewish majority, and the great Muslim majority."

"At the start of the second intifada, Jews worldwide organized themselves to help the Jews who are here," the archbishop said. "The Muslims of the Gulf and other parts of the world organized themselves to help the Muslims who are here. The Christians disappeared, and the few Christians who remained had the impression of being abandoned by the rest of their brothers."

"Material aid came from many other parts of the world, with which it was possible to help the schools to survive, and medical centers to continue to provide their services, but something was lacking: the presence of Christians," he added.

"Look, I am not afraid for the holy places," the apostolic delegate continued. "To say it in a rather brutal way, they bring too much money to the country and they will be respected. But these holy places will be living places, which help one to live, while there is a community around them that believes, loves and hopes. Without that community, the holy places would be cold museums, and no longer places of life."

"Pilgrimages are the most complete way to help the local Christians, the Mother Church of Jerusalem and of the Holy Land," he said.

"In the first place, it is a spiritual, psychological and human help," the prelate said. "Christians here look at pilgrims much more than the latter look at them, and this presence of pilgrims makes them say: Here we are few, but look how many brothers and sisters from many parts of the world come here. We are all part of a great family, the family of the disciples of Christ. It is a moral, human help of the first order."

"In addition to this," he added, "there is also the material help, because the majority of Christians of the Holy Land have specialized in the service of pilgrims: transport, guides, hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. And when there are pilgrims, there is also help for local Christian families."

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Vatican envoy calls for international statute on Jerusalem , New York, Nov. 02 (CWNews.com)

New York, Nov. 02 (CWNews.com) - Migliore has reiterated the Vatican's contention that the city of Jerusalem should be protected by a special international statute.

The Vatican's UN representative said that Jerusalem is "the common patrimony of the world and all its believers." Therefore, he continued, the rulers of Jerusalem should be answerable to the international community, so that access to the city and its holy sites cannot become "the subject of discored among different authorities." Archbishop Migliore said that the Vatican was bringing up the topic once again in light of recent episodes of violence in Jerusalem, and heated arguments about access to the city's many shrines. The archbishop also observed that despite abundant rhetoric in favor of peace, there is very little practical evidence that international leaders are challenging Israeli and Palestinian officials to resume serious negotiations. Without such negotiation, he pointed out, there is no realistic hope for a change in the current situation; "the politics of continued separation cannot lead to peace." Archbishop Migliore praised the UN officials who care for Palestinian refugees, but repeated that international leaders should take more active steps to resolve the underlying issues that prolong the conflict in the Holy Land.