The leader of the Order of Malta is asking for an international statute that would allow pilgrims from all over the world to enter Jerusalem.
The leader of the Order of Malta is asking for an international statute that would allow pilgrims from all over the world to enter Jerusalem.
Grand Master Fra’ Andrew Bertie made that request in Rome on Jan. 4 in his annual address to the 96 countries accredited to the Order.
He mentioned “the different reflections that have taken place over many years on the problem of the holy sites, reminding in particular of the Holy See’s position on Jerusalem: city of the three religions, which at the same time is the homeland of two peoples, Israeli and Palestinian, patrimony of humanity.”
“It is appropriate, therefore, to give it a special status, guaranteed at the international level,” he noted. “Jerusalem must be a permanent site of search for peace and reconciliation between religions, peoples and cultures.”
