Tensions mark relations between Vatican, Israel , CWNews.com, 7 May 2004

Vatican, May. 07 (CWNews.com) - Diplomatic tensions between the Holy See and Israel are mounting, even as they approach the 10th anniversary of their formal diplomatic relations.

On June 15, the Vatican and Israel will mark the 10th anniversary of their establishment of full diplomatic relations. But an accompanying economic pact-- which was foreseen in by the historic "Fundamental Accord" signed by the two parties in December 1993, paving the way for diplomatic relations-- remains unsigned.

Under the terms of the Fundamental Accord, an economic accord was to have been signed by the end of 1995. But the two sides have not yet reached an agreement on the terms of that accord, which could be critical to the survival of the Christian communities in the Holy Land. The accord involves tax-exempt status for Christian congregations and mission facilities.

In July 2003, Israeli foreign-affairs minister Silvan Shalom announced that the economic pact would be concluded within a few months. But one month after that public announcement, Israeli representatives withdrew from active negotiations. In April of this year, the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, Oded Ben-Hur, signaled a desire to renew those negotiations in June, with an eye to finalizing the pact by the end of 2005-- a full decade later than foreseen in the Fundamental Accord. Ambassador Ben-Hur visited on May 4 with Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Secretary for Relations with States, to make a formal announcement of his government's hopes to conclude the economic pact on the 10th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

At the Vatican, informed officials are viewing the Israeli declaration with caution. "It's a promise-- one more promise," said one official. "We're happy with the promise, but we'll be watching carefully to see if it's followed by action."

The Vatican's relations with Israel have been marked by difficult negotiations in the past. On November 10, 1997, the two parties signed another long-awaited agreement, regarding the legal status of Christian institutions in the Holy Land. When that pact was signed, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls lamented "the interruption of negotiations on other points"-- apparently referring to the economic agreement.

Another point of contention between the two sides is the Israel decision to stop renewing the visas of Catholic missionaries in the Holy Land. Hundreds of missionaries are now facing possible expulsion because of this policy-- which, in the eyes of Church officials, clearly violates the Israeli promise to cooperate with Church missionary activities.

On this issue, too, the Israeli government has recently promised corrective action. After a public protest to the daily newspaper Ha'aretz by Father David Jaeger, a spokesman for the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, prime minister Ariel Sharon announced that he would create a new commission to resolve the visa problems. In Rome, Ambassador Ben-Hur said his government was taking "a new attitude, a real change of direction." But again, the Vatican is still waiting for the promise to be fulfilled by effective action.

The visa problem stems from the desire of Israeli leaders to exclude visitors-- including Catholic missionaries-- who come from countries that are regarded as "enemies" of the Israeli state, such as Syria and Lebanon. Vatican officials strongly argue that this Israeli policy should not prevent the issuance of visas for missionaries, for several reasons. Most of the missionaries caught up in the dispute do not come from the "enemy" countries. Representatives of the Holy See quickly concede that Israel has the right to maintain a list of countries whose residents cannot stay in Israel-- provided that (as one Vatican official put it) "they don't put Catholics on their list of enemies." Furthermore, Church leaders point out that when a missionary enters the Holy Land, both his religious superior and the papal nuncio in Jerusalem sign a pledge assuming responsibility for his conduct. Yet another cause of tensions between the Vatican and Israel is the "security wall" through Palestinian territory, which one official characterized as "a problem for everyone." Religious congregations have complained about the difficulties caused by the wall, which cuts off communities and makes traffic across Palestinian territory difficult and sometimes impossible. But the same Church spokesmen also point out that in this respect, missionaries are only suffering the same severe inconveniences as the entire Palestinian population.

On another level, however, the "security wall" can be seen as a fresh violation of the Fundamental Accord. In Article 4 of that agreement, the Israeli government pledged to "continue to respect and protect the character of the Catholic holy places," including churches, monasteries, convents, and cemeteries, and to allow free access to them. The security wall impedes access to many shrines, and Church officials point out that the construction of "a military structure" like the wall changes the character of the religious sites nearby. Furthermore, some religious congregations were forced to move in order to make room for the construction of the wall, others have seen their lands split by the wall, and still others have been cut off from the people they served. The tense relations between the Vatican and the Israeli government are important for Christians outside the Catholic faith. Since the Holy See has sovereign international status-- unlike any other Christian religious entity-- the Catholic Church often serves as a sort of spokesman for the aspirations of all Christians regarding the Holy Land.