Vatican demands prayer rights on Mt. Zion
Custodian of the Holy Land says Christian Church wants State of Israel to significantly expand Christians' right to pray at traditional site of Last Supper. Foreign Ministry: No intention of handing any part of Mount Zion over to Vatican.
During a symposium held in Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Israel next week, Pizzaballa said that the Holy See was unwilling and incapable to compromise on this "most important principle," as the Last Supper Room is a holy place and a symbol of unity between the different denominations of Christianity.
"If we don't claim this place, we will be betraying our purpose and faith," he said.
Attorney Gilad Corinaldi, representing the Merkaz Meida Yahadut (Judaism Information Center) association, which strongly objects to any change in the status quo on the site by expanding the rights of use, argued that the move could halachically restrict Jewish prayer in the area, and particularly at the nearby King David's Tomb.
Father Pizzaballa replied by promising that "we have no intention of violating other rights, but only praying at the place – a right which is given to any other person, Jewish or Muslim."
"We don't want to conquer Mount Zion or to remove anyone from there – just to actually return Israel's sovereignty so that the place will not be deserted," he added. "We are not claiming exclusivity over the room, and we don't even want to turn it into a church. And although we have 500-year-old documents about the Christian ownership of the place, clearly we cannot change history."
Seeking access to holy places
Father Pizzaballa added that the negotiations between the Vatican and the Israeli government on the holy site on Mount Zion have been going on for two years now, and that one of the Church's demands was to open the site for Christian prayer for two hours a day.
He stressed, however, that no significant progress had been made and that the talks had not led to an agreement.
"This has nothing to do with the pope's visit," he said. "We don't want to use his arrival in the region in order to evade the need for a dialogue and agreement."
As for the vagueness created by the two sides over the issue, he said: "It is the responsibility of the teams from Rome and Jerusalem to open it up to the public… As far as we are concerned, it would be great to open it to a public debate as equal people, as equal religions, in order to reach the structuring of a new status quo. If we Christians are an essential part of this city and country, we need access to the holy sites just like anyone else."
Attorney Gilad Corinaldi, who often deals with holy site issues and had waged a successful battle against the destruction of synagogues in Gaza communities in 2005 as part of the disengagement plan, asked Father Pizzaballa: "Do you also support the expansion of Jewish prayer rights on the Temple Mount in the name of freedom of religion?"
The Vatican representative replied, "There are no Christians on the Temple Mount. I am not the address for this. But on Mount Zion we can reach an agreement which will be respected by everyone."
The symposium, which was held at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, was organized by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) foundation and the Search for Common Ground association and raised a lot of interest. It was attended by senior Christian clerics as representatives of the different churches, Norway's ambassador to Israel, experts, a representative of the Israel Police and others.
'Attempts to inflame the situation'
As part of the struggle against changing the status quo at the Last Summer Room, attorney Corinaldi also turned to the prime minister and foreign and interior ministers on behalf of the Merkaz Meida Yahadut association, demanding (under the Freedom of Information Law) information about an agreement or understandings being formed with the Vatican in regards to the holy site.
He noted that they must address the issue in order to "relieve the tension and maintain Mount Zion's identity and holiness to the Jewish people."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's office clarified in a letter of response that "during the pope's visit there is no intention of making a gesture or signing any agreement with the Vatican" and that "as for the rumors on handing the Last Summer Room over to the Vatican, they are completely baseless.
"This is part of an attempt to inflame the situation and cause tensions around the visit," the foreign minister's office wrote, noting the rise in violent incidents against Christian institutions as part of "price tag" activities.
The response concluded with a statement that "there is no intention of handing over or granting any rights to the Last Supper Room to the Vatican – neither during the pope's visit to Israel nor afterwards. The State of Israel is maintaining its traditional stance that the Last Supper Room and any other part of the compound on Mount Zion will not be handed over to Vatican ownership or possession in any way."
