Fresh off a new diplomatic tiff resulting from the Vatican’s recognition of the ‘state of Palestine,’ Pope Francis has again angered Israeli leaders by referring to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as an “angel of peace.” The comment came as the two men exchanged gifts during Abbas’ official audience on Saturday. Rounding out a good week in Vatican-Palestinian relations, two 19th century nuns were canonized in a ceremony in St. Peters Square before a crowd estimated at about 2,000, with many Palestinian flags seen among the participants.
The final draft of a treaty between the Holy See and the PA that deals with the Church’s activities in the Palestinian territories is expected to be ready for Abbas to sign before his departure. Reacting to the new pact, Israel issued a statement that read, in part, “Such a development does not further the peace process and distances the Palestinian leadership from returning to direct bilateral negotiations. Israel will study the agreement and consider its next step.”
Source: The Media Line News
