VATICAN-ISRAEL COMMISSION MEET IN ROME ITALY

06/ 7/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Bilateral Vatican-Israel Commission meets in Rome

The Parties have agreed to hold the next Plenary meeting by December 2013 in Jerusalem

The Commission expects conclusion to the 20 years of negotiations by the end of 2013

lisa palmieri-billig rome “I believe that the problems that remain can be resolved.  They can be bridged and an agreement is within reach” said Israel’s Ambassador  to the Holy See, Zion Evrony, at a very cordial reception in his home concluding two days of negotiations in the Vatican of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission between the Holy See and the State of Israel.

The delegation of the Holy See was composed of 12 members, including officials of the Secretariat of State of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the present and former Apostolic Nuncios in Israel, Greek Melkite officials in Israel, legal and financial advisers, the Custody of the Holy Land, etc.  The Israeli delegation had 9 delegates, including TOP Foreign Ministry officials, legal experts and Israel’s Ambassador to the Holy See. The joint communiqué  states “The negotiations took place in a thoughtful and constructive atmosphere.  The Commission took notice that significant progress was made and the parties committed themselves to accelerate negotiations on the remaining issues, and look forward to an expedited conclusion in the near term. The Parties have agreed on future steps and to hold the next Plenary meeting by December 2013 in Jerusalem.” For 20 years following the signing of the Fundamental Agreement on December 30, 1993 which ushered in diplomatic recognition between the two States,  this Commission has been meeting at least twice a year in Rome and Jerusalem to iron out remaining obstacles to a definitive accord regarding the legal status, economic and tax issues of the Catholic Church in Israel as proposed by Article 10, paragraph 2 of the Fundamental Agreement.Both delegations, headed respectively by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States and Mr. Zeev Elkin, Israel’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, agree that substantial issues have been smoothed out and only “technical” problems remain to be solved. They believe a conclusion is at hand, probably at the next meeting scheduled for Jerusalem before the end of the year.It is expected, among other details, that all Church property will be declared tax-free with the exception of Church-owned businesses.Ambassador Evrony, alluding to repeated declarations in past years regarding the proximity of  the conclusion of negotiations, said to delegation members and media guests, “I know that some of you will be skeptical and say, ‘We have heard this before’, but this time I believe we are indeed closer to the finish line and there is a good reason for optimism”.“Some say [we have been negotiating for] too long, others may say what are a few years in 2000 years of relations?” He noted that this year marks some very significant dates: the 20^th  anniversary of the signing of the Fundamental Agreement (June 3); the 50^th  anniversary of the passing away of Pope John XXIII and the 46^th anniversary “today, June 5^th” of the outbreak of the 6-Day “war of self defense”  (alluding to the amassing of troops against Israel on the borders of Syria, Jordan and Egypt accompanied by threats of imminent annihilation ).“These events directly or indirectly are related to our negotiations because they have significantly changed Jewish-Catholic relations and the geostrategic situation in the Middle East” said Israel’s Ambassador.Msgr. Camilleri, head of the Holy See’s delegation, stressed “how positive and rich the atmosphere was”.  He paid tribute, along with all members of both delegations, to the dedicated and long-term commitment of Ambassador Behij Mansour, Director of the Inter-Religious Affairs Department of Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, who “played an instrumental role in these negotiations for seven years and now is leaving us to be Ambassador in Santo Domingo”, as Ambassador Evrony stated. The official Joint Communiqué of the Bilateral Commission also “acknowledged the contribution of Ambassador Bahij Mansour to the negotiations” and wished him “success in his new position.”The Holy See’s Under-Secretary for Relations between States pointed to “today’s highlight – the brief moments shared with Pope Francis during a private audience.”“The meeting was moving, significant, and unforgettable” said Israel’s Ambassador to the Holy See.  He brings “a universal message of modesty, caring for the poor, struggle for peace and care for the environment.”The Israeli delegation expressed hopes that Francis would visit Israel next year, where he has been officially invited by President Peres as well as Deputy Foreign Minister Elkin.  “He will be warmly greeted by members of all religions” said Ambassador Evrony.

LUKEWARM CHURCHES

REVELATION 3:15-19
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I(GOD) will spue (VOMIT) thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

06/ 7/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Belgium’s Cardinal Danneels okays same-sex unions

The row over same-sex marriage

Sparks fly following a statement the cardinal made recently, saying: “I think it’s a positive development that states are free to open up civil marriage for gays if they want, but such unions should be given a different name than marriage.” He also pointed out that the Church has changed its idea on suicide

Marco Tosatti ROMe Belgian cardinal Godfried Daneels – who recently turned 80, losing his eligibility to vote in the Conclave as well as his position in Rome’s various Congregations – has come under the spotlight for some controversial statements he made regarding same-sex unions and the protests held by Catholics and non-Catholics against the "Taubita law", France’s same-sex marriage law.“I think it’s a positive development that states are free to open up civil marriage for gays if they want,” Cardinal Daneels apparently told Dutch language newspaper

De Tijd. He added, however, that such unions should be given a different name than marriage. In the eyes of the Church, a union between two people of the same sex is not “real marriage”. Real marriage can only be between a man and a woman. “But insofar as it is legal” “the Church does not have a say” in such laws, he apparently added.Belgian French language newspaper L’Echo also quoted the cardinal saying that the French should obey the law and not oppose same-sex marriage. “We need to understand: The Church has never objected to the fact that there is a sort of 'marriage' between homosexuals – however  we're talking about a sort of marriage. This is not the same as the true marriage between a man and a woman, so we need to find another word for the dictionary,” the cardinal said.According to Danneels, today’s Church has developed a more “nuanced,” position without being “fixated” on moral principles. “How can a man not identify with his orientation? I think there is a clear evolution in the thinking of the Church.” He went on to compare the situation to the treatment of people who had committed suicide and were therefore denied burial in a Catholic cemetery, saying the Church now looks at the "totality" of the person.Danneels was long known as one of the three European principals of the “liberal” bloc of the Catholic Church leadership. In the last two Conclaves he was also considered a possible candidate to succeed John Paul II – who created him cardinal in 1983 – and Benedict XVI. But his chances were radically weakened after all the criticism he received for his handling of sex-abuse cases in the Church.2008 was a tough year for him after he was called to give evidence on cases of sex abuse. The cardinal stated he knew nothing about it (this was the first time a cardinal appeared before a Belgian court). But when Benedict accepted his resignation two years later, Cardinal Danneels had become entangled in the case of Fr. Roger Vangheluwe, a priest who was accused of abusing his grandson in the 70s and 80s. The abuse apparently began when Fr. Vangheluwe was a priest and carried on when he was bishop. Cardinal Danneels allegedly advised the victim to delay pressing charges until Vangheluwe, who was Bishop of Bruges at the time, had handed in his resignation. The bishop’s grandson then promptly handed a voice recording of his conversation with the cardinal to the press. One of the newspapers, De Standaard, justified Danneel’s behaviour to a certain extent, describing his action as "containment, nothing more." It added that Danneels' "only aim is to avoid having the case made public so many years after the facts. The police questioned the cardinal on the case, which a priest had apparently tried to alert him about in 1996 but was ignored. The case tainted the cardinal’s reputation so much that church attendance in Belgium and vocation numbers reached an all-time low.

06/ 6/2013 VATICAN INSIDER

Pope Francis will remain in the Vatican for the summer

Castel Gandolfo

Pope Francis will not move to the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo for the summer, he will remain in the Vatican. Many read his decision as another sign of his solidarity with the poor who cannot afford to take holidays

gerard o'connell Rome Pope Francis will remain in the Vatican for the summer, despite the heat, and will not move anywhere else for any significant period, apart from his travel to Brazil for the World Youth Day in Rio, in July.“His base will be in Santa Marta, in the Vatican, for the summer”, Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Holy See’s Press office, told Vatican Insider, June 6. The Prefecture of the Papal Household broke the news earlier in the day, but Father Lombardi’s statement made it quite clear that Pope Francis does not intend to go and live at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo during the summer months as all the other Popes have done since the end of the Second World War, and very many also did over the past 400 years ever since Pope Urban VIII established the papal summer residence there.“He intends to remain the Vatican”, Lombardi confirmed. He made clear, however, that this does not exclude the possibility that the Argentinean pope may decide to travel outside Rome on various occasions during the summer, perhaps even for some days, but “Santa Marta will be his base”, he said, referring to the Vatican guesthouse where he has lived since becoming pope.He will, for example, travel to Castel Gandolfo on July 14 and recite the Angelus (the Marian Prayer) at the papal residence there, at midday that day, but plan is to return to Rome that same day, Lombardi said.  He might make similar visits there again, but so far nothing has been planned.The Pope will not hold any Wednesday public audiences during the month of July, Father Lombardi stated.  But he will take up those Wednesday audiences again in the Vatican from August 7 onwards.During the summer, as is customary, all the private and special papal audiences will be suspended from July 8 to September 1.On July 7 and until further notice, Pope Francis will cease to celebrate mass for groups, as he has been doing ever since his election.As is well known, the first Latin American pope in the history of the Church will travel to Brazil for the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro from July 22-29, but after that he will return to Santa Marta.Fr. Lombardi said it is “probable” that the first Jesuit pope will lead a special celebration for his Jesuit confreres on July 31, the feast of St Ignatius of Loyola – the founder of the Society of Jesus.  “But this will not be an event open to the public, it will be for his Jesuit confreres only”, the Vatican press director said.While Pope Francis’ decision to remain in the Vatican may surprise many in Rome, it does not come as any great surprise to those who have known that he was not accustomed to take holidays either when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, and even before that. He has often noted that the poor people cannot afford to take holidays, and many see his not taking holidays as his way of being in solidarity with them. “My people are poor, and I am one of them”, he once said.  As pope, he wants to remain that way too.