Israel Giving Concessions to the Church

by Steve Ray on May 5, 2009




I am on my way to Israel today to lead two groups in the month of May. I will be there at the same time as the Pope is there. I will be watching this with great interest. Especially since the six churches are places we visit on every trip!

Israeli president pressing for diplomatic concessions to Vatican?
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=2810
Israeli President Shimon Peres is pushing for acceptance of a proposal that would give the Church control over the most important Christian shrines in the country, according to an Israeli news media report. The report appeared following a May 1 negotiating session at which Israeli and Vatican officials worked to resolve remaining differences on a proposed juridical-economic accord that would define the rights of Church institutions in Israel. Some observers had speculated that the final agreement would be announced before the visit to Israel by Pope Benedict XVI this month, but the negotiations ended with an announcement that the talks would continue in December.



One Comment

  • Suzanne Calvano says:

    Does this mean the Upper Room will not be handed over to Vatican authority during the Pope’s visit? I’ve been wondering about that. Thanks and have a wonderful, blessed trip.

    STEVE RAY HERE: I THINK IT WILL BE HANDED OVER, BUT WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE. I AM IN JERUSALEM NOW AND ANXIOUS TO FIND OUT. I VISITED YAD VASHEM TODAY, TOOK PICTURES AND WILL ADD THEM TO MY BLOG TOMORROW. HAD SOME INTERESTING DISCUSSIONS THERE TOO.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *