Vatican praises Arafat for Palestinian vision

ABC News ^ | 11-11-04

[SJackson]

The Vatican has praised Yasser Arafat as a charismatic leader who struggled to win independence for his people, and repeated its support of a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Pope John Paul, who last met Arafat in 2001, retreated into private prayer when he was told of the death of the Palestinian leader earlier on Thursday in Paris, a Vatican source said.

The Pope, who made a historic trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2000, sent a message saying he was particularly close to the Palestinian people "in this hour of sadness".

The 84-year-old Pope's message said he prayed that the "star of harmony" would soon bring peace to the Holy Land and that both Israelis and Palestinians could live "reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign states".

Earlier, a statement by the Vatican's chief spokesman called Mr Arafat the "illustrious deceased" and asked God to grant eternal rest to his soul.

"The Holy See joins the pain of the Palestinian people for the passing of President Yasser Arafat. He was a leader of great charisma who loved his people and tried to guide them towards national independence," said the statement by chief spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls.

The official statement was bound to displease Israel because it made no mention of militant attacks, which the Jewish state blamed on Mr Arafat and insists must stop before the stalled peace process can get back on track.

In recent years the Vatican continued to recognise Mr Arafat as the legitimate leader of the Palestinians after Washington and Israel had written him off.

But Vatican officials privately criticised him for what one called "jumping off the peace train".

"There is no doubt that he was a towering figure for his people but his great mistake was not to sign on at Camp David," a senior Vatican prelate told Reuters.

"That was a great failure and a lot of problems stemmed from that," he said. "He missed his date with history."

At a US-brokered a peace summit in 2000 both sides came close to a final accord that would have established an independent Palestinian state, but the talks broke down over the status of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees.

Washington and Israel blamed Mr Arafat for the failure.

Over the past four years, the Vatican's improvement in relations with the Palestinian Authority coincided with a deterioration of relations with Israel.

The Pope repeatedly criticised Israeli incursions into Palestinian territories and last November, the Vatican was shocked when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came to Rome for several days but did not ask to see the Pope.

[dmz]

It's just me, but I have trouble with using Castro in the same breath as Hitler, Mao, and Stalin.

[Pointblank]

I do not mean any disrespect to Catholics but I am very disappointed with the Pope's positions lately. Sometimes I think Chirac writes his statements...

[NeoCaveman]

illustrious deceased

Probably a poor translation. I once heard this old Italian saying during a sermon at mass once, "the translator is a liar"

[tomahawk]

Disgusting.

[sodpoodle]

How many divisions does the Pope control? Good student of military history RS!

Nor as many Catholics supporting him as W - I would bet...........

thank the Lord!

[cubreporter]

What?? Are they kidding????? Arafat was a terrorist and is no longer on this earth to murder innocent people. Cant' believe the vatican would put out such a ridiculous statement. That's incredible and just shows the Vatican does NOT speak for all Catholics. I'm ashamed!!! But then again...what else is new with our church over the last 30 years or so. Typical political nonsense. Arafat was a heinous individual who reaped pain and sorrow on people. Shame on the Vatican to release such a statement.

[Little Ray]

You think those Swiss guards would be able to really protect anything?

YES! (Don't have much faith in their ability to attack, but I wouldn't want to be the assassins running up against them...)

[GovernmentShrinker]

the Vatican was shocked when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came to Rome for several days but did not ask to see the Pope.

Why the heck would Sharon want to see the Pope? These Vatican guys need to get a clue.

[JesseJane]

Arafats Legacy:

http://www.honestreporting.com/m/legacy.asp

[battlecry]

Understand. He should have been a baseball player.

Maybe just a matter of scale, but his designs on Latin America and Africa were big, and the suffering and damage he did to the cause of freedom is still felt to this day.

Substitute your favorite despot.

[eastsider]

Who is going to say that he died of aids.

I'd start by asking the French to issue the death certificate.

[Nachum]

Knowing lots of Catholics here at FR, I will refrain from the howl of protest that wants to come from my keyboard. I will only point out that this is a perfect illustration of the gulf that still exists between Caltholics and Jews.

[Dionysius]

What are they thinking! The bastard through his constant resorting to violence has kept his people permanently oppressed and debilitated -- and he lined his pockets majestically at the same time. The man was evil incarnate and the leaders of my church are raising him up in terms usually reserved for the sanctified! Fie, I say, fie!

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

The possibility that it was a mistranslation would be more valid if it was the only statement that had been made. But with the other statements and the Vatican's criticism of Israel, it seems likely to me that the translation was accurate.

[SoothingDave]

I'd hate to estimate how much Ararat's, "Get Out of Hell", Purgatory cost is?

Purgatory is not a way to "get out of hell." They are entirely different things. Try not to display your ignorance.

SD

[maestro]

The Vatican, which is really a Secret Mosque, praises Arafat for a Vatican-Mosque Palestinian vision?

/same god

[yatros from flatwater]

From the Vatican News Service through EWTN:

11-November-2004 -- Vatican Information Service

HOLY SEE JOINS IN PAIN OF PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FOR ARAFAT DEATH

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 2004 (VIS) - Upon learning of the death early this morning in a hospital near Paris of Yasser Arafat, 75, president of the Palestinian National Authority, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following statement to journalists:

"The Holy See joins in the pain of the Palestinian people for the death of President Yasser Arafat. He 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."

Pope John Paul and Yasser Arafat have met 12 times during the Pope's 26-year pontificate. Arafat was received 11 times in the Vatican: the first was on September 15, 1982 and the last time was October 30, 2001. The Palestinian leader and the Holy Father also met in Bethlehem during the pontiff's pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March of 2000.

Yasser Arafat has met with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State (1996), with then Archbishop and now Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for Relations with States (1994 in Tunisia and 1995 in Gaza during a trip to Israel) and with Cardinal Pio Laghi when he visited the Holy Land in 2001.

On October 25, 1994, the Holy See announced that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Holy See will exchange representations to be "open channels for continuing the development of mutual relations, understanding and cooperation. ... It was decided to give to the already long-existing and fruitful working contacts a permanent and official character. The Palestine Liberation Organization will, therefore, open an office of representation at the Holy See, with its own director. The apostolic nuncio in Tunisia will be responsible for contacts with the leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organization."

On February 15, 2000, John Paul II received Arafat and a delegation for the signing of a Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, as the representative of the Palestinian National Authority. At that time the Palestinian leader invited the Pope to Bethlehem. The agreement signed that day dealt with certain juridical questions regarding the presence and activity of the Catholic Church in the territory dependent on the Palestinian Authority.

[SoothingDave]

Pope John Paul, who last met Arafat in 2001, retreated into private prayer when he was told of the death of the Palestinian leader earlier on Thursday in Paris, a Vatican source said.

The Pope, who made a historic trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2000, sent a message saying he was particularly close to the Palestinian people "in this hour of sadness".

The 84-year-old Pope's message said he prayed that the "star of harmony" would soon bring peace to the Holy Land and that both Israelis and Palestinians could live "reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign states".

So the Pope prayed for Arafat's soul, expressed sympathy for a grieving people, and expressed a desire for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

What part of this is "bad" or "unChristian" again?

SD

[Blue Scourge]

I'm very disappointed in the Vatican on this one. Perhaps some of the Catholics here can enlighten me as to why the Vatican seems to keep ending up on the wrongside of alot of events lately.

P.S. Don't accuse me of being anti-catholic it is simply a criticism of their policies.

[Jeff Chandler]

it made no mention of militant attacks

So blowing up children in pizza parlors is a militant attack?