VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 98   
   DATE 26-05-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - THE POPE ARRIVES IN ISRAEL: ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS, IN PEACE WITHIN   
   INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED BORDERS   
   - JOINT DECLARATION OF POPE FRANCIS AND THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW:   
   OUR COMMON SEARCH DOES NOT DISTANCE US FROM THE TRUTH   
   - ECUMENICAL ENCOUNTER IN THE HOLY SEPULCHRE: LET US NOT DEPRIVE THE WORLD OF   
   THE PROCLAMATION OF THE RESURRECTION   
   - THE POPE AT THE ESPLANADE OF THE MOSQUES: MAY NO-ONE ABUSE THE NAME OF GOD   
   FOR VIOLENT ENDS   
   - POPE FRANCIS AT THE WESTERN WALL   
   - AT THE CHIEF RABBINATE OF ISRAEL: OUR FRIENDSHIP IS ONE OF THE FRUITS OF   
   VATICAN COUNCIL II   
   - MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL: MAY JERUSALEM TRULY BE   
   THE CITY OF PEACE   
   - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    THE POPE ARRIVES IN ISRAEL: ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS, IN PEACE WITHIN   
   INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED BORDERS   
    Vatican City, 26 May 2014 (VIS) - Early this afternoon, the Pope visited the   
   Basilica of the Nativity. The first historical references to this "cave of the   
   manger of Bethlehem" date back to Origenes. In 326, the emperor Constantine   
   ordered the construction of a basilica at the over the Grotto of the Nativity,   
   with its floor raised slightly higher than ground level. Damaged by fire and   
   the revolt of the Samaritans, it was restored in 540. In 614, the Persians   
   under Khosrau II invaded the region but left the Basilica intact on account of   
   its frescoes of the Magi in Persian dress. In 638, the Muslims entered   
   Bethlehem, which passed to the Crusaders with the entry of Tancred in 1099. In   
   1187 Saladin occupied Jerusalem and Bethlehem but again spared the Shrine. In   
   1192, the bishop of Salisbury, Hubert Valter, re-established the Latin cult in   
   return for payment of a tribute by the faithful. In 1347, the Franciscans   
   obtained permission from the Ottomans to officiate in the Basilica and   
   possession of the Grotto and the Basilica. In the sixteenth century there   
   began a period of disputes between Franciscans and Greek Orthodox regarding   
   the possession of the Basilica, which changed hands according the favour   
   enjoyed at the Sublime Porte by the nations supporting the communities. With   
   the defeat of the Venetians and their expulsion from Crete in 1669, the   
   Orthodox were authorised to take possession of the Grotto and the Basilica.   
   The latter is still their property, whereas the Grotto of the Nativity   
   returned to the Franciscans in 1690. St. Catherine's Basilica, next to the   
   Basilica of the Nativity, is the parish of the Latins in Bethlehem.   
    The ownership of the individual Holy Places is a vexed question that has   
   given rise to dispute between the communities belonging to the three   
   monotheistic religions of the Holy Land, and remains a delicate theme for   
   international chancellors. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the   
   struggle between the Byzantine and Latin communities, already heated, began to   
   be affected by the highs and lows of international politics and the relations   
   between the powers of the age: the Sultan of Istanbul, who considered the   
   Christian Holy Places as state property; the Italian Maritime Republics which   
   protected the Latins; and the Tsar of Russia, traditionally the protector of   
   Orthodox Churches. Some sanctuaries passed from one community to another, at   
   times only on the basis of the sum of money offered to the Sublime Porte. In   
   1850, a French request to the Sultan to clarify the matter led to a further   
   dispute with Russia, and and a decree was issued from Istanbul in February   
   1852 to authorise the existing situation in the various shrines. The "statu   
   quo" virtually froze the claims of the Franciscans in relation to the   
   expropriations of which they had been victims for centuries, and cost them a   
   high price in terms of human lives and property. This Ottoman edict remains in   
   force today and continues to govern the situation in various Shrines such as   
   the Grotto of the Nativity (Bethlehem), the Cenacle and the Holy Sepulchre   
   (Jerusalem).   
    Pope Francis visited the Grotto of the Nativity, which he reached via an   
   internal passage between the "Casa Nova" Convent and the Greek-Orthodox   
   Basilica, and spent some time there in prayer. He returned by the same passage   
   to the Convent where he was photographed with the Friars. He then proceeded to   
   the "Phoenix Centre" in Bethlehem, a reception centre in the refugee camp of   
   Dheisheh; the centre was built as a result of a donation from Pope John Paul   
   II on his visit in 2000. The Pope was received in the auditorium of the centre   
   by around one hundred children from the refugee camps of Dheisheh, Aida and   
   Beit Jibrin. There was a festive atmosphere with singing, and two children   
   presented the Pope with drawings, letters and craft works. The Pope prayed   
   with the children, and before imparting his blessing a child read him a letter   
   in which he said, 'we are children of Palestine. Our parents have endured   
   occupation for 66 years. We opened our eyes to this occupation and have seen   
   the nakba in the eyes of our grandparents as they left this world. We want to   
   tell the world: enough suffering and humiliation!".   
    "Don't ever allow the past to determine your lives", the Holy Father   
   responded. "Always look to the future, work hard and make efforts to achieve   
   what you want. But you must understand this: violence cannot be overcome by   
   violence. Violence is overcome by peace! By peace, by working with dignity to   
   help your homeland to move forward". He then returned to the heliport, where   
   he was awaited by the president of the State of Palestine who bid the Pope   
   farewell, accompanied by the Guard of Honour. After a half-hour journey by   
   helicopter the Pontiff arrived at the International Ben Gurion Airport of Tel   
   Aviv, Israel, where he was received by Shimon Peres, president of the State;   
   Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister; the political, civil and religious   
   authorities, the Ordinaries of the Holy Land, and a choir of young people. "I   
   have come on pilgrimage to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the historic visit   
   of Pope Paul VI", said Francis. "Since then, much has changed in the   
   relationship between the Holy See and the State of Israel: diplomatic   
   relations, established some twenty years ago, have favoured the development of   
   good relations, as witnessed by the two Agreements already signed and   
   ratified, and a third which is in the process of being finalised. In this   
   spirit I greet all the people of Israel with prayerful good wishes that their   
   aspirations of peace and prosperity will achieve fulfilment".   
    The Pope went on to remark that the Holy Land is a spiritual point of   
   reference for as the scene of a multi-millennial history and the principal   
   events in the origin and growth of the three great monotheistic religions,   
   Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. "So I express my hope and prayer that this   
   blessed land may be one which has no place for those who, by exploiting and   
   absolutising the value of their own religious tradition, prove intolerant and   
   violent towards those of others". He commented that during his pilgrimage he   
   would visit some of the most significant places in Jerusalem, "a city of   
   universal importance". "Jerusalem, of course, means 'city of peace'", he   
   continued. "This is what God wills it to be, and such is the desire of all   
   people of good will. Yet sadly Jerusalem remains deeply troubled as a result   
   of long standing conflicts. We all know how urgent is the need for peace, not   
   only for Israel but also for the entire region. May efforts and energies be   
   increasingly directed to the pursuit of a just and lasting solution to the   
   conflicts which have caused so much suffering. In union with all men and women   
   of good will, I implore those in positions of responsibility to leave no stone   
   unturned in the search for equitable solutions to complex problems, so that   
   Israelis and Palestinians may live in peace. The path of dialogue,   
   reconciliation and peace must constantly be taken up anew, courageously and   
   tirelessly. There is simply no other way".   
    He went on to renew the appeal made by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI   
   during his 2009 visit: "the right of the State of Israel to exist and to   
   flourish in peace and security within internationally recognised borders must   
   be universally recognized. At the same time, there must also be a recognition   
   of the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign homeland and their right   
   to live with dignity and with freedom of movement. The 'Two State Solution'   
   must become reality and not remain merely a dream".   
    The Pontiff went on to speak about a "particularly moving" part of his stay,   
   his visit on Monday to the Yad Vashem Memorial to the six million Jews who   
   were victims of the Shoah, "a tragedy which is the enduring symbol of the   
   depths to which human evil can sink when, spurred by false ideologies, it   
   fails to recognise the fundamental dignity of each person, which merits   
   unconditional respect regardless of ethnic origin or religious belief. I beg   
   God that there will never be another such crime, which also counted among its   
   victims many Christians and others. Ever mindful of the past, let us promote   
   an education in which exclusion and confrontation give way to inclusion and   
   encounter, where there will be no place for anti-Semitism in any of its forms   
   or for expressions of hostility, discrimination or intolerance towards any   
   individual or people".   
    He added, "It is with a profoundly saddened heart that I have heard of how   
   many people lost their lives in Saturday's atrocious attack in Brussels. I   
   thoroughly condemn this criminal act of anti-Semitic hatred, and commend the   
   victims to God's mercy and pray for the recovery of the injured".   
    The Holy Father remarked that the brevity of his visit necessarily limits the   
   encounters he is able to make, but took the opportunity to greet all Israel's   
   citizens and to express his closeness to them, "particularly those living in   
   Nazareth and in Galilee, where many Christian communities are found". He   
   concluded by addressing a "warm and fraternal greeting" to the bishops and the   
   Christian faithful, and encouraged them "to persevere in their quiet witness   
   of faith and hope in the service of reconciliation and forgiveness, following   
   the teaching and example of the Lord Jesus, who gave his life to bring about   
   peace between God and man, and between brothers. May you always be a leaven of   
   reconciliation, bringing hope to others, bearing witness to charity! Know that   
   you are constantly in my prayers".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    JOINT DECLARATION OF POPE FRANCIS AND THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW:   
   OUR COMMON SEARCH DOES NOT DISTANCE US FROM THE TRUTH   
    Vatican City, 26 May 2014 (VIS) - After the welcome ceremony at Tel Aviv   
   airport, the Pope transferred by helicopter to Jerusalem where, at the   
   Apostolic Delegation, he met with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople,   
   Bartholomew, who was accompanied by three high dignitaries. The meeting was   
   also attended by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Cardinal Kurt   
   Koch, prefect of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.   
    The Patriarch Bartholomew was elected in 1991 as the 270th Patriarch   
   archbishop of Constantinople, the New Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarch. He   
   visited Benedict XVI in the Vatican in 2008 and participated in the   
   celebration of the second millennium since the birth of St. Paul. On 19 March   
   20123 he attended the Mass of the beginning of Pope Francis' Petrine ministry;   
   it was the first time since the Great Schism of 1054 that an Orthodox   
   patriarch was present at the inauguration ceremony of a Catholic pope.   
    Following the meeting, Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew signed the   
   following Joint Declaration:   
    "1. Like our venerable predecessors Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch   
   Athenagoras who met here in Jerusalem fifty years ago, we too, Pope Francis   
   and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, were determined to meet in the Holy Land   
   'where our common Redeemer, Christ our Lord, lived, taught, died, rose again,   
   and ascended into Heaven, whence he sent the Holy Spirit on the infant Church'   
   (Common communiqué of Pope Paul VI and   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)