For the Sake of Peace — the Vatican and Palestine
Pope Francis and Palestinian president
Mahmoud Abbas
(no votes) |
(0 votes) |
Doctor of History, Professor, Chief Research Associate at the Institute for International Studies (IIS) of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)
On 13 May 2015, the Vatican issued an official statement recognizing the territories controlled by the Palestinian National Authority as an independent state. The Holy See thus joined the 135 countries that have recognized the Palestinians’ right for an independent state.
On 13 May 2015, the Vatican issued an official statement recognizing the territories controlled by the Palestinian National Authority as an independent state. The Holy See thus joined the 135 countries that have recognized the Palestinians’ right for an independent state.
The Vatican has always consistently supported the right of the Palestinian people to create their own state. Even before United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 was issued to terminate the British mandate for administration of Palestine and to create independent Arab and Jewish States on its territory, Pope Pius XII established the Pontifical Mission for Palestine in order to promote relations with the Palestinians. The Mission did not have a diplomatic status but became an important link between the Roman Catholic Church and the Christian population of Palestine. The Vatican supported the decision by the United Nations for Jerusalem to become a corpus separatum administered by the United Nations Trusteeship Council. The Vatican also insisted on the status quo of the Holy Land sites for the three religions, which was incorporated into international law by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. It was for that reason that the activities by the Israeli political administration and decision by the Knesset of 29 July 1980 to declare Jerusalem, complete and united, to be the capital of Israel were slammed by the Holy See.
The Vatican has always consistently supported the right of the Palestinian people to create their own state.
In 1964, Pope Paul VI visited Bethlehem and, in his official statement, supported the inalienable right of the Palestinians to create an independent state. The Pope also provided USD 400m out of the Vatican budget to build a university in Bethlehem. So far, 14,000 Palestinians have graduated from the University of Bethlehem [1].
Pope prays at Israel's West Bank separation
barrier
Pope John Paul II made several harsh statements condemning the Israeli authorities for “creating unbearable conditions, which cause many Palestinians to leave their land.” [2] In 1987, the Pope met with Yasser Arafat and confirmed that peace talks should result in the Palestinians having their own independent state. On 15 February 2000, the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organisation signed a bilateral basic agreement, which says that they are “calling for a peaceful solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which would realize the inalienable national legitimate rights and aspirations of the Palestinian People, to be reached through negotiation and agreement, in order to ensure peace and security for all peoples of the region on the basis of international law, relevant United Nations and its Security Council resolutions, justice and equity.” In 1987, for the first time in the history of the Latin Patriarchy, John Paul II appointed the Palestinian Michel Sabbah as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Since then, the Latin Patriarchy has been headed by either Palestinians or Jordanians.
The Holy See owns colossal movable and real property on Palestinian lands and in Israel.
Pope Benedict XVI followed in the footsteps of his predecessors when it came to the Palestinian issue. In October 2010, he made the following statement at the Synod of Bishops: “the necessary legal steps to put an end to the occupation of the different Arab territories […] Recourse to theological and biblical positions which use the word of God wrongly to justify injustices is not acceptable” [3]. In response, then Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel Danny Ayalon said that “the synod was hijacked by an anti-Israel majority.” [4]. During his meeting with head of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas on 17 December 2012, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his approval of the UN General Assembly resolution to accord Palestine non-member observer state status in the United Nations. “The Holy See supports the right of the Palestinian people to create a sovereign Palestinian state on the land of their forefathers, a state peacefully coexisting with its neighbours within internationally recognised borders,” the Pope said in his address [5].
The current, 266th Pope, Pope Francis, elected in March 2013, said during his visit to the Holy Land that he recognised the territories controlled by the Palestinian National Authority as the State of Palestine. “It is official recognition of the fact that this state exists”, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told reporters [6].
A logical question would be why the Vatican tends to support the Palestinian rather than the Israeli position. The answer is obvious. First, Israel’s forty-year policy and practice of violating all the Palestinians’ rights on the occupied territories causes mass emigration of Palestinians to other countries. During the years of the occupation, the Palestinian population of the West Bank shrank by almost a third as a result of mass emigration. Emigration mostly affects the Christian Arab population of the area: during the years of the occupation, its share fell from 12% down to 3% [7]. There are virtually no Christians left in Gaza. The Vatican is objectively interested in ensuring protection of the rights and property of Christians. Yet the Israeli policy of expanding Jewish settlements into Palestinian lands and infringing on the rights of the Christian confessions in Israel itself only causes more Christians to leave the Holy Land.
The talks between the Vatican and Israel that have been under way for more than 40 years have had no success and the status of the Roman Catholic Church remains uncertain.
Second, the Holy See owns colossal movable and real property on Palestinian lands and in Israel. Custodia Terræ Sanctæ (the Custody of the Holy Land) has 74 sanctuaries (shelters), 5 basilicas, 66 churches, 45 chapels and 38 parishes, many of which are located on territories controlled by the Palestinian National Authority. The Palestinian authorities have so far managed to ensure complete autonomy and security of the property and pilgrims of the Custody on the lands controlled by the Palestinian National Authority.
Since adoption of the Israel Protection of Holy Places Law in 1967, all lands with such buildings that historically belonged to Christian and Muslim confessions automatically fell under the jurisdiction of the law. Since then, any activity (construction, repairs, archaeological digs, commercial activities, pilgrimages, security and law-enforcement activities, provision of water, electricity and workforce for religious bodies, etc.) has to be approved by the Ministry of Religious Services of Israel and receive special approval from the Minister of Justice of Israel. The talks between the Vatican and Israel that have been under way for more than 40 years have had no success and the status of the Roman Catholic Church (and other Christian confessions) remains uncertain. The current situation makes it clear that the Israel Protection of Holy Places Law has a one-sided effect, offering favourable conditions only to Israeli religious and historical monuments. At the same time, representatives of other confessions see their rights significantly limited. Further, desecration of Christian and Muslim shrines is regularly reported.
Head of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas is currently on a visit to the Vatican, where he will participate in the procedure conferring sainthood on the first Christians of Palestinian origin – Marie Alphonsine Ghattas of Jerusalem and Mariam Baouardy of Bethlehem, who embraced Christianity in the late 19th century, – for their self-sacrificing activities in monasteries, shelters and hospitals in the Holy Land.
As one would expect, the Vatican’s decision to strengthen its ties with the Palestinian National Authority met with a negative response, criticism and lack of understanding in Israel. According to Israeli authorities, “these actions by the Holy See will constitute another stumbling block on the way to achieving peace in the Middle East
References:
1. The State of Palestine Permanent Mission to the Holy See. Ramalla, April 2014. – P. - 2.
2. Ibid.
3. Hariri hails Catholic Bishops' call to end Israeli occupation, AFP, 25.10.2010.
4. Deputy FM: Anti-Israel bishops have hijacked the Vatican. “Haaretz”, 24.10.2010.
5. The State of Palestine Permanent Mission... – P. - 7.
6. The Vatican to recognise Palestinian state in a treaty, BBC-News, 13.05.2015.
7. Ismail Lubbad. Demographic Profile of Palestinian Migration. Paper Prepared for the Migration and Refugee Movements in the Middle East and North Africa The Forced Migration & Refugee Studies Program. Cairo: The American University in Cairo. October 2007. - Р. 11.
(no votes) |
(0 votes) |
