Posted on 07/26/2005 12:15:43 AM PDT by familyop
Trying to change the Vatican's habit of excluding Israel when condemning terrorist attacks, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican envoy Monday to protest Pope Benedict XVI's failure to mention recent attacks in Israel during a condemnation of world terrorism.
In his noontime sermon on Sunday, the pope prayed for God to stop the "murderous hand" of terrorists, and referred to the recent "abhorrent terrorist attacks" in Egypt, Britain, Turkey and Iraq. He did not mention the July 12 suicide bombing that killed five people in Netanya.
Nimrod Barkan, director of the Foreign Ministry's World Jewish Affairs Bureau, called Vatican Archbishop Pietro Sambi into his office to protest what Israel believes was not just an innocent oversight.
Barkan said not condemning terrorism in Israel had been Vatican policy for years, and "now that there is a new pope, we have decided to deal with it."
"We feel that now that there is a new pope, we need to turn over a new leaf and change the fact that the Vatican refrained in the past from condemning attacks here," he said. "They need to help the moderates in the Middle East, not the extremists."
Barkan said that during the reign of pope John Paul II, Israel "quietly" protested in Rome the pope's lack of condemnation of attacks in Israel. He said Israel had now decided to go public with the matter to change an entrenched but negative mode of conduct.
Asked to speculate why the previous pope refrained from condemning attacks in Israel, Barkan said: "There are forces in the Vatican pulling in different direction regarding Israel. Since they never paid a price for the lack of a condemnation, they continued to do it. But if they understand we won't let this pass quietly, I assume they will change their ways."
If the protest is not effective, "we will have to weigh other steps," he said.
Barkan said he was not concerned the public protest would damage relations with the new pope.
"What could be worse than implying that it is okay to kill Jews? What else am I supposed to do," he said.
Barkan said Sambi took notes during their meeting and said he would pass the message on to the Vatican.
Sambi on Monday night would not comment about the incident.
Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, accompanying Benedict on vacation, issued a one-line statement saying the papal envoy "has already replied to the Israeli government." It did not elaborate.
Later, Navarro-Valls released a second statement in which he noted that Benedict's words expressly referred to terrorist attacks in "recent days."
"It's surprising that one would have wanted to take the opportunity to distort the intentions of the Holy Father," Navarro-Valls said in the statement. "Obviously the other week's grave attack in Netanya referred to by Israel falls under the general and unreserved condemnation of terrorism."
AP contributed to this report.
Israel, don't be surprised when the pope ignores your complaints(requests) than the pope should be when he is ignored by God concerning his complaints( pope's requests)!
Terrorism happens every day in Israel. 90% of the worlds terrorist bombs go off in Israel. Even so I am sure it is sure Co-Inky-dinky that the Pope protests only non-Jewish terrorist targets.
Right?
Neither was Kashmir mentioned. But anyway, let's not forget the WoT cannot be fought with words.
Is the pope going to be slammed and be called "anti-semitic" for this?
Thanks
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I wouldn't, but the omission is very sad and regrettable. Israel has taken successions of hits few countries could survive. In all those bombings, who knows the true count of lives ruined by maiming and what their families suffer, in addition to the hideous deaths of loved ones?
Is it possible they think Israel has brought these problems on itself?
Maybe it was inadvertent. I don't know. I get the impression that the Vatican grudgingly accepts Israel as a reality in modern times, and am not sure why.
Is jogging in front of the train your favorite sport?
Thank you for posting a more detailed article. I posted this article as it appeared earlier in Yediot Ahranot. I am Israeli. My home is in Netanya. I see a lot of reaction without much thought. Here is my take on the article.
The Pope gave a sermon. In it he condemned every major terrorist attack which had occurred in the previous two weeks save one: the suicide bomb attack in Netanya. Those of us who live here have to ask why and point out the effect, perhaps unintended, of the Pope's omission.
The Catholic Church has a long history of taking the Palestinian's side in the conflict. Yes, Pope John Paul II took some courageous steps to heal rifts between the Catholic and Jewish communities and I, for one, do appreciate that. However, his statements against Israeli government actions to defend our people were troubling.
Now we have a new Pope. His views on the Middle East are, so far, unknown. Nobody, not the Foreign Ministry, not the writers at Yediot Ahranot, none except a few overreacting here on FR, are calling the Pope and anti-Semite. He has done nothing to deserve that. The real problem is that he made what, in my view, is a serious omission with serious consequences. This can be corrected and that is all the Foreign Ministry wants. That is all I, as a Jew and as an Israeli, want. Asking that does NOT make us anti-Catholic or bigots.
All we want is acknowledgement that our dead and injured are as valuable all all the other dead and injured. All terrorism is evil and should be treated as such.
You are very welcome.
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