ROME, DEC. 7, 2006 (Zenit).- Catholics and Israelis are awaiting with hope a pair of meetings of the Israel-Holy See Permanent Bilateral Commission on key issues in the Church-state relationship.
ROME, DEC. 7, 2006 (Zenit).- Catholics and Israelis are awaiting with hope a pair of meetings of the Israel-Holy See Permanent Bilateral Commission on key issues in the Church-state relationship.
A delegation of the Israeli government visited the Holy See on Nov. 27 to renew its invitation to Benedict XVI to visit Israel and to establish an agenda of negotiations.
Israeli representative Aaron Abramovich explained after the visit that two meetings were scheduled to overcome the differences in the implementation of the Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the state of Israel.
The first meeting in December will be attended by experts from the Vatican and Israel. The second meeting in January will be attended by governmental ministers.
The Fundamental Agreement between the Vatican and Israel, establishing diplomatic relations between both states, was signed on Dec. 30, 1993.
On Nov. 10, 1997, the Holy See and Israel signed a second significant treaty, with which the Mideast country recognized the Church’s juridical personality and its agencies.
Both agreements were ratified and came into force on the basis of an international plan on March 10, 1994, and Feb. 3, 1999, respectively.
However, despite the passing of years, to date neither of the agreements has become law.
“Friendly” relations
Speaking on Vatican Radio, Franciscan Father David Jaeger, jurist and Mideast expert, referred to the two forthcoming meetings and expressed the hope that they might “come to the longed-for agreement & negotiations have been under way since March 11, 1999.”
“Relations are friendly,” the priest said. “With the resumption of negotiations it is obvious to all that relations will be in a better state. I think that everyone, both Israelis as well as Catholics, are now anxious to see that these relations have an affable stability, which the conclusion of the agreements will be able to give them.
“Above all, there should be a conclusion to the agreement that is currently being negotiated, whose intention is to assure the Church of the ownership of the holy places that belong to it, and to confirm the tax exemptions, recognized also by international law.”
