The Vatican has issued a stern warning to Israel to respect religious sites in line with its international obligations, following a gun battle around Bethlehem's besieged Church of the Nativity. Spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Vatican was following events "with extreme apprehension" and trying to establish the truth about the fighting that flared early on Monday. This is an act of indescribable barbarity, a violation of every law of humanity and civilisation Father David Jaeger Franciscan spokesman Israel says its troops are under orders not to fire at holy places and blamed Palestinian militants for a fire near the church,...