Dad will not go to Israel

The next bilateral meeting of the representatives of Israel and the Vatican, who on the eve of Jerusalem and whose purpose was to search for ways to implement the fundamental agreement signed in 1993, again ended with nothing. Tax problems related to the legal status of church property on the Holy Land remained unresolved, today the Italian La Repubblica notes (full text on the website inopressa.ru ).

“The official communiques say everything or nothing. This time, the Communist is saying everything: as it has already been reported, and this is a reality,” Monsignio Maria Velo, Secretary of the Congregation of the Eastern Churches, commented on the results of the negotiations. "For 13 years we have been gathering and praying to God to come to some conclusion before he sunk into oblivion for another 13 years," Prolate said at a press conference, who took part in a meeting in Jerusalem with the Franciscan Keeper of the Holy Land Father Pizzaball. He also clarified that on such wide topics as the desire for peace and the inter -religious dialogue, the parties came to general formulations, but at specific points relating to the life of the Christian community, "we got aground." In addition, Veli also made a purely political remark: "The problem is property. The Israelis are trying to seize most of the shares in order to be able to use them when, during the process of peaceful settlement, we are talking about Jerusalem and its status."

The parties will meet again in May, and this fact itself, even if it received an official positive assessment, is perceived in the Vatican as another unacceptable delay. As Velo explains, the bilateral group worked well in a limited composition, but at the plenary meeting the parties did not want to make any decisions. For his part, the head of the press center of the holy throne Lombardi officially rejected every chance that the pope’s trip to Jerusalem could take place in 2008. “ Benedict XVI ,” Lombardi emphasized, “repeatedly expressed a desire to visit the Holy Land, but this requires a general normalization of the situation in the region, as well as an understanding whether there are signs that would encourage such an important act as this visit.” It becomes clear that there are no such "signs". The papal spokesman was categorical: "In 2008, other pope trips were planned, so there is no question of his visit to Israel."

In parallel with negotiations between the Vatican and Israel, the implementation of the policy of the Holy See to restore relations with the temperate Arab front, the Italian newspaper continues.

True, recently, Benedict XVI was under the sight in the last video message of the second person at Al-Qaeda Az-Zawakhiri. "Dad offended Islam and Muslims," ​​he said, probably recalling the infamous lecture of Benedict XVI in Regensburg. However, even more rigidly, Az-Zawakhiri attacked the king of Saudi Arabia Abdallah for his visit to the Vatican: he branded him as a carrier of the "moderate doctrine" and insultingly responded about "the Politeism of the Saudi Muftis." Padre Lombardi answered this calmly: "138 Muslim figures who wrote Benedict XVI are the voices who want to make a dialogue and contribute to the world of peace, and the significance of these voices increases. This causes concern about those who do not want such a dialogue." The chairman of the Vatican Culture Council, Monsignor Ravazi, noted for his part that "many professors of Islam are patiently trying to establish deep contact with representatives of various beliefs."