Pope acts on promise to Palestine


June 26, 2015
Sarah Benton

The report from the National Catholic Reporter (an ‘independent weekly U.S. newspaper’) is followed by one from JPost.


Pope and President in the Vatican. Photo by Reuters

By Joshua J. McElwee, National Catholic Reporter
June 26, 2015

VATICAN CITY The Vatican on Friday signed a comprehensive agreement formally recognizing the “State of Palestine,” following 15 years of negotiations on a bilateral accord that is said to provide juridical recognition for Catholic churches and call for a two-state solution with Israel on the basis of their borders in 1967.

Announcement of the agreement comes about a month after the Vatican had said the agreement was in its final stages, which, in turn, led to the Israeli foreign ministry expressing disappointment over the move.

The text of the accord is not yet available. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican prelate who serves essentially as the pope’s foreign minister, said in a statement that it was his hope that the agreement “may in some way be a stimulus to bringing a definitive end to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

“I also hope that the much desired two-State solution may become a reality as soon as possible,” said Gallagher, the secretary for the relations with states at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Malki called the agreement “historic” and said “it would not have been possible” without both Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Pope Francis.

“For the first time, the Agreement includes an official recognition by the Holy See of Palestine as a State, in recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, freedom and dignity in an independent state of their own, free from the shackles of occupation,” said Al-Malki.

“It also supports the vision for peace and justice in the region in accordance with international law and based on two states, living side by side in peace and security, on the basis of the 1967 borders,” he said.

Gallagher said he is pleased that the agreement “that juridical recognition is clearly established and that guarantees have been given for the work of the Catholic Church and her institutions.”

“Catholics do not seek any privilege other than continued cooperation with their fellow-citizens for the good of society,” he said.

The archbishop praised the agreement as an example of Christian-Muslim dialogue and cooperation in what he called “the complex reality of the Middle East.”

While Friday’s agreement is the first between the Holy See and Palestine, the Vatican has been referring to Palestine as a state since February 2013 under the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI.

The Holy See first signed a basic agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 2000 and the two entities have been working on Friday’s accord, known as a comprehensive agreement, since.

The agreement’s reported recognition of Palestine’s borders with Israel in 1967 refers to the borders between the two entities before Israel captured a significant amount of territory in the Six-Day War of that year.

Among the disputed territories held by Israel after the war are the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula.

In his remarks Friday, Gallagher said achieving a two-State solution between Israel and Palestine will require “courageous decisions, but it will also offer a major contribution to peace and stability in the region.”

While the Vatican signed a fundamental agreement with Israel in 1993, a further agreement in 1997 was not confirmed by the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset.

Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is jmcelwee@ncronline.org. Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac


Vatican signs first treaty with ‘State of Palestine,’ backs two-state solution

The agreement, according to a Vatican statement, “deals with essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic Church in Palestine.”

By JPost / Reuters
June 26, 2014

The Vatican signed its first treaty with the “State of Palestine” on Friday, calling for “courageous decisions” to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a two-state solution.

Israel expressed disappointment last month at the Vatican’s announcement that it reached the outline of an agreement with the Palestinians and at the Holy See’s use of the term “State of Palestine” for the first time in an official document.

The agreement, according to a Vatican statement, “deals with essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic Church in Palestine.”

Both parties, according to the statement, “agreed that the work of the Commission on the text of the Agreement has been concluded, and that the agreement will be submitted to the respective authorities for approval ahead of setting a date in the near future for the signing.”

The Foreign Ministry released a statement expressing regret over the decision of the Vatican to officially recognize the Palestinian Authority as a state. “This offensive step hurts the chances of reaching a peace agreement and moves the Palestinian leadership further away from returning to direct bilateral relations.”

The statement concluded saying, “Israel cannot accept the unilateral decisions of the agreement as it does not take into account the vital interests of the State of Israel and the unique historical status of the Jewish people and Jerusalem.”

Israel and the Vatican have themselves been unable, after some 16 years of glacial negotiations, to sign an agreement that would deal with matters such as the status of the Catholic Church in Israel, the issue of sovereignty over some 21 sites in the country, and taxation and expropriation issues.

Herb Keinon contributed to this report.

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