Pope Benedict XVI (R) greets President of Israel Moshe Katsav during a meeting in his private library at the Vatican November 17, 2005. REUTERS/Plinio Lepri/Pool
Posted on 11/17/2005 7:31:07 AM PST by NYer
Israeli President Moshe Katsav is making the first official visit of any Israeli head of state to the Vatican.
The Israelis have hailed the occasion as one of great symbolic importance, as relations between the two states have often been fraught over the decades.
The Israelis have called Pope Benedict XVI a "true friend of Israel".
President Katsav has invited him to follow in the footsteps of the late John Paul II by going to Israel on a state visit.
For many, at first suspicious of the new Pope, he started well.
In the first days of his pontificate he met Jewish leaders, and on his trip to Cologne he went to a synagogue.
Bombings row
But if the two states are to come together - as Israel hopes - to combat extremism, there is a lot of fence-mending to be done.
They recently had a diplomatic row over suicide bombings when the Pope omitted to mention an attack on Israel.
Then there is the heavy historical baggage. There is the church's legacy of hostility towards Jews, which officially ended four decades ago when the Vatican declared that the Jews were not to blame for Christ's death.
There was also the eagerness to canonise the controversial wartime Pope Pius XII.
And Israel has long regarded the Vatican, which did not recognise the Jewish state until 1993, as pro-Palestinian.
Now the Vatican wants to resolve a stand-off over church property in Israel, as well as problems with visas.
So there is plenty of work ahead, but this meeting is a significant step towards a warmer relationship.
Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Oh yes, I see he is wearing a black suit.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Israeli President Moshe Katsav met with Pope Benedict XVI and other top Roman Catholic officials Thursday to discuss a long-standing tax dispute that has irritated relations between Israel and the Holy See.
Katsav said he told the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, that he would do everything possible to "accelerate" talks on the church's tax status "and to answer positively to the requests of the church."
The Vatican is seeking ways to lessen its tax burden as one of the significant land owners in the Holy Land and wants access to Israeli courts to handle any quarrels over ownership.
Israeli officials have said the dispute is the main obstacle to wider cooperation between Vatican and Israel, which established diplomatic relations in 1993.
Israel strongly resists giving any special tax exemptions to the Vatican and has offered to create a special panel to oversee property cases involving the Vatican. Israel fears that giving special tax breaks to the Vatican could open the door for other churches and groups to seek similar loopholes.
Katsav said after his meeting that talks on the issues were going well, and working groups would "try to close the outstanding issues as soon as possible." He said "almost all the issues had been resolved," although he did not elaborate.
A Vatican statement said merely that "particular attention" had been paid to the issue during the talks.
Katsav also said he invited Benedict to visit Israel - an invitation first extended by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a letter to the pope in July. The president said he hoped the visit would occur in 2006.
Katsav presented the pope with framed photos of recently discovered mosaics that are believed to be from the Holy Land's oldest church.
The pope said he would like to visit the site of the church, in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, when he visits Israel, Katsav said.
The pope, for his part, gave Katsav a framed and signed copy of the Vatican's landmark 1965 document "Nostra Aetate," which revolutionized the church's relations with Jews.
The Vatican's deputy spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and efforts to improve collaboration in the humanitarian field, particularly in Africa, also were discussed during Katsav's meetings.
Police cleared out parked cars along the main boulevard leading to St. Peter's Square in anticipation of Katsav's visit, which highlighted an official trip to Italy that also included talks with top Italian officials.
The Israeli president was continuing on a private visit to Naples and Milan.
Katsav was the first Israeli president to visit the Vatican when he held talks here with John Paul in 2002. He attended John Paul's funeral in April.
The ADL in the US launched its attack on Christians and Christmas yesterday noting christians are the enemy's and created a terrible country.
Time to leave support of Israel and the pope should tell israel time to grow up and take care of yourself.
"The pope said he would like to visit the site of the church, in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, when he visits Israel next year, Katsav said."
The manufacturer of tin foil hats ought to be doing cartwheels about now.
The remarks of the ADL have nothing to do with the state of Israel
They are kind of like how "People for the American Way" are to America.
I am aware after the unrest for the Greek Orthodox church being sold to an Israeli, which might someday happen to a Catholic church in Israel. Catholics around the world will not keep a blind eye, challenging Christians. It was also very disturbing to see the holy Church of Nativity being punched with bullets by Israeli security force when Palestinian terrorists escaped into years ago (which the government of Israel denied). It was also very disturbing to have a prison made on top of an ancient church built long ago which was found and reported weeks ago, even Israelis did not know (in fact, they should have researched what was under before they built the prison). The government of Israel should not damage any Chirstian property in any way that remains in Israel, and respect it. Any offense against Christians will not be tolerated, even by the allied Israel.
"It was also very disturbing to see the holy Church of Nativity being punched with bullets by Israeli security force when Palestinian terrorists escaped into years ag"
It was MORE disturbing to see the Palestinians turn the place into a giant urinal while they were there, besides using the altar
for a dinner table. (So much for Muslim respect for Jesus.)
You can imagine the outcry from Islam if Christians used
a Muslim holy place in the same way. . .
t was also very disturbing to have a prison made on top of an ancient church built long ago which was found and reported weeks ago, even Israelis did not know (in fact, they should have researched what was under before they built the prison).
Do you expect Israel to excavate the enite country?
The PRison was not built on the Church. Rather they were preparing to expand the prison when they found the remains!
It seems to me that you should look at the facts before comming to a conclusion.
Not and Israeli, several Jews. It's entirely possible that the Catholic Church could sell property to a Jew as well. I'd suggest you contact the Vatican and express your displeasure. Perhaps Jews shouldn't be permitted to own property at all.
Thanks for the ping. I'm always amazed that such a simple act meets with such heartfelt criticism.
..................
Amen and right on, CondorFlight!
Ain't that the truth!
From the article in reply #4:
Katsav was the first Israeli president to visit the Vatican when he held talks here with John Paul in 2002.
Does this mean that the visit in 2002 was not an official visit?
I didn't even notice that. Could it be that the BBC got the facts wrong??? In a story about the Church?? That's got to be a first.
Here is from Zenit in 2002:
Israeli President Hears a Plea on Visit to Pope
Katsav Hears Call for Cooperation with Palestinians
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 12, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Moshe Katsav became the first Israeli president to visit the Pope at the Vatican, and was told that the Holy Land will see peace if there is cooperation between Israel and Palestine.
Katsav also met with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, and Monsignor Pietro Parolin, new undersecretary for relations with states.
During the meetings, the Vatican's position was explained again "to the illustrious guest," Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro-Valls said in a press statement. That position favors "the existence and collaboration between two states, Israel and Palestine, with the need to arrive at a rapid conclusion to the ongoing conflict."
Navarro-Valls said that John Paul II and his aides appealed to the Israeli president for "free access to Bethlehem, because of the forthcoming Christmas celebrations."
Reuters, relying on a statement issued by the Israeli Embassy to the Vatican, reported that Katsav promised the Pope that Israel's army would leave Bethlehem over Christmas if there were no "warnings of terror operations.''
Israeli troops reoccupied Palestinian-ruled Bethlehem three weeks ago following a suicide bombing that killed 11 Israelis on a Jerusalem bus, the news agency noted.
As Minister of Tourism, Katsav had visited John Paul II in 1998, when a number of Israeli officials were overseeing some preparations for the Jubilee year.
When the Pope visited the Holy Land in March 2000, Katsav was not yet president of Israel. He was elected by the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, the following July 31, defeating Shimon Peres.
John Paul II has received numerous Israeli heads of government and ministers, even before diplomatic relations were established between the Vatican and Israel on Dec. 30, 1993.
During today's meetings, Israeli-Vatican relations were analyzed. Special attention focused on "the opportunity to intensify collaboration in the cultural field," Navarro-Valls said.
Born in Iran in 1945, Katsav moved to Israel with his family at age 6. A militant of the nationalist Likud Party, he was elected deputy for the first time in 1977. He has held key posts within the Knesset and the government, including Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, and Minister for the Arab-Israeli minority.
As president, Katsav has shown an openness toward ethnic and religious minorities, Vatican Radio said.
Some attempt to grasp at any straw to criticize Israel.
Kind of a stupid comment considering that if anything in the ground would be disturbed it's most likely to be Jewish.
Example, in this particular case.
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