Rpoe visit reflects changing Vatican stance to Israel (Feature)

By Jeff Abramowitz May 4, 2009, 5:04 GMT

Jerusalem - The first time a reigning pope visited Israel he did not admit to having done so. Paul VI made a one-day stopover from Jordan in 1964 but avoided mentioning the Jewish state by name.

At the time, Israel and the Vatican had no diplomatic ties and once the pope returned to the Vatican he sent a thank-you note to Israeli President Zalman Shazar, addressing it to 'Mr. Shazar' in Tel Aviv - not Jerusalem, where Shazar had his official residence.

Pope John Paul II, in contrast, not only named Israel as part of his itinerary to the Holy Land in 2000, but met Israel's president, prime minister and two chief rabbis.

The visit to the Holy Land, including Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories, of Pope Benedict XVI, will be the third papal visit and means 'the pace is picking up,' says Daniel Rossing, Director of the Jerusalem Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations.

'We should not lose sight of the fact that in the last 50-60 years there have been tremendous strides forward in Jewish-Christian, and especially Jewish Catholic, ties,' he says.

Most commentators and scholars agree that Vatican attitudes toward Israel have been influenced by two main factors: The first is theology - Catholic attitudes toward the Jews - and the second realpolitik as most Christians living in the Holy Land are Arabs who identify with Palestinian nationalism.

Early Church teachings saw the Jews as condemned for failing to accept Jesus, and the destruction of the Second Temple (in 70 A.D.) and the dispersion of the Jews as divine punishment for this rejection and their perceived role in the crucifixion.

It was only in 1965 that a sea change in Catholic-Jewish relations took place, with the Nostra Aetate declaration of the Second Vatican Council, which absolved the Jews as a people of what was previously seen as 'deicide', for the murder of Jesus.

The declaration, wrote Rabbi David Rosen, who has played a leading part in the developing relationship between Israel and the Vatican 'ushered in the positive revolution in Church teaching.'

This development was continued by Pope John Paul II, who is regarded as having done more than any of his predecessors to advance Catholic- Jewish relations, and repudiate theological anti-Semitism.

The Nostra Aetate removed the theological objections to Vatican recognition of Israel, but secular considerations meant diplomatic ties could only be established in 1993.

The Church, which has communities, institutions and assets in Arab and Moslem countries throughout the Middle East, feared that any rapprochement with Israel could trigger a political backlash.

Most Catholics who live in Israel and the occupied territories identify mainly with the Palestinian cause, and they were unwilling to see the Vatican reconcile with Israel before the Palestinian leadership did.

But when Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization signed their historic declaration of principles in 1993 which gave birth to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the road was clear for the establishment of official Vatican-Israel ties.

As the peace process moved ahead, the Vatican also realised that its interests, specifically in Jerusalem, would not be taken into account without a formal dialogue with Israel.

That is not to say the formal relations between the two countries have been smooth or free of distrubances.

In recent months, three have stood out.

In January 2009, the Pope lifted the excommunication of Holocaust- denying bishop Richard Williamson of the traditionalist St. Pius X Society. Williamson had originally been excommunicated not for his views on the Holocaust but for his unauthorized consecration as bishop by the society's founder, Marcel Lefebvre.

However, Benedict prompted international controversy by what he regarded as a move to unify the Catholic Church. Israel's Chief Rabbinate severed ties with the Vatican, arguing that dialogue with Catholics could not continue unless Williamson apologised and recanted his statements.

Also in January, Cardinal Renato Matino, head of the Vatican Council for Justice and Peace, said Gaza residents were living in a big concentration camp, a statement which led Israeli officials to say they were shocked that a 'man of religion is using Hamas propaganda. '

One month later, an Israeli talk show host sarcastically denied Christian teachings, specifically the Virgin birth and Jesus walking on water, saying he was doing so as a 'lesson' to Christians who denied the Holocaust and as a response to Bishop Williamson's reinstatement. The Vatican formally complained to the Israeli government.

These spats notwithstanding, Israeli-Vatican relations have come a long way since Pope Paul VI would only mention unspecified 'authorities' in a country the Vatican did not officially recognize.