Vatican

Vatican recognises State of Palestine

May 14, 2015 by Nasheman

Agreement reached over Catholic Church’s activities in areas controlled by Palestinian Authority, statement says.

The Vatican’s official newspaper said it hoped the accord would indirectly help the Palestinian State in its relations with Israel [AP]

by Al Jazeera

The Vatican has concluded its first treaty that formally recognises the State of Palestine, with an agreement on Catholic Church activities in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, according to the Holy See.

A joint statement released by the Vatican said on Wednesday said the text of the treaty had been concluded and would be officially signed by the respective authorities “in the near future”.

The agreement “aims to enhance the life and activities of the Catholic Church and its recognition at the judicial level”, said Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, the Vatican’s deputy foreign minister who led its delegation in the talks.

Vatican officials stressed that although the agreement was significant, it certainly did not constitute the Holy See’s first recognition of the State of Palestine.

“We have recognised the State of Palestine ever since it was given recognition by the United Nations and it is already listed as the State of Palestine in our official yearbook,” Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesperson, said.

On November 29, 2012, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognising Palestine as an observer non-member state.

This was welcomed at the time by the Vatican, which has the same observer non-member status at the UN.

During a three-day visit to the Middle East a year ago, Pope Francis delighted his Palestinian hosts by referring to the “state of Palestine”, giving support for their bid for full statehood recognition.

The Palestinian delegation was led by Ambassador Rawan Sulaiman, the assistant minister for foreign affairs.

Holy See, Palestine make headway in Comprehensive Agreement §RV http://t.co/kXuRPJbnBA

— Vatican – news (@news_va_en) May 13, 2015

In an interview with the Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano , Camilleri said he hoped the agreement would indirectly help the Palestinian State in its relations with Israel.

“It would be positive if the accord could in some way help with the establishment and recognition of an independent, sovereign and democratic State of Palestine which lives in peace and security with Israel and its neighbours,” he said.

Hanan Ashrawi, PLO executive committee member, welcomed the Vatican’s recognition of the state of Palestine.

In a statement, Ashrawi said: “The significance of this recognition goes beyond the political and legal into the symbolic and moral domains and sends a message to all people of conscience that the Palestinian people deserve the right to self-determination, formal recognition, freedom and statehood.”

Vatican backs military force to stop ISIS ‘genocide'

March 17, 2015 by Nasheman

by John L. Allen Jr, Crux

In an unusually blunt endorsement of military action, the Vatican’s top diplomat at the United Nations in Geneva has called for a coordinated international force to stop the “so-called Islamic State” in Syria and Iraq from further assaults on Christians and other minority groups.

“We have to stop this kind of genocide,” said Italian Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s representative in Geneva. “Otherwise we’ll be crying out in the future about why we didn’t so something, why we allowed such a terrible tragedy to happen.”

Tomasi said that any anti-ISIS coalition has to include the Muslim states of the Middle East, and can’t simply be a “Western approach.” He also said it should unfold under the aegis of the United Nations.

The call for force is striking, given that the Vatican traditionally has opposed military interventions in the Middle East, including the two US-led Gulf Wars. It builds, however, on comments from Pope Francis that the use of force is “legitimate … to stop an unjust aggressor.”

Tomasi issued the call in an interview with Crux on the same day he presented a statement entitled “Supporting the Human Rights of Christians and Other Communities, particularly in the Middle East,” coauthored with the Russian Federation and Lebanon, to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The statement has drawn almost 70 nations as signatories, including the United States.

Tomasi told Crux that in the first instance, he hopes the statement will galvanize nations around the world to provide humanitarian aid to Christians and other groups suffering at the hands of ISIS, “so they can survive and stand up for their own rights.”

Beyond that, Tomasi said, the crisis requires “more coordinated protection, including the use of force to stop the hands of an aggressor.”

“It will be up the United Nations and its member states, especially the Security Council, to determine the exact form of intervention necessary,” he said, “but some responsibility [to act] is clear.”

Tomasi applauded an initiative by France to call a special meeting of the Security Council later this month to discuss the situation facing Christians in the Middle East.

Thousands of Christians are believed to have been killed in various parts of the Middle East, principally Iraq and Syria, since the eruption of the Syrian civil war in 2011 and the declaration of an ISIS-led “caliphate.” Hundreds of thousands of Christians and other minority groups have been driven into exile.

To be effective, Tomasi said, an anti-ISIS coalition must include “the countries most directly involved in the Middle East,” meaning the Islamic states of the region.

“What’s needed is a coordinated and well-thought-out coalition to do everything possible to achieve a political settlement without violence,” Tomasi said, “but if that’s not possible, then the use of force will be necessary.”Tomasi called such international military action in defense of beleaguered minorities “a doctrine that’s been developed both in the United Nations and in the social teaching of the Catholic Church.”

The March 13 joint statement on Christians and other minorities in the Middle East, Tomasi said, was a “first” in the United Nations, in that it’s the first time in the Human Rights Council that the plight of Christians has been specifically addressed.

He said the statement originated with Russia, which traditionally sees itself as a protector of Orthodox Christians in the Middle East. Lebanon was invited to participate, he said, because it’s a Middle Eastern country where Christians have long flourished alongside their Muslim neighbors.

Beyond geopolitics, Tomasi also offered some thoughts on what individual Christians around the world can do to support their fellow believers in the Middle East.

“First of all, it’s important to pray and to practice a spiritual communion with these people,” he said.

“Second, one can raise awareness of the political situation that leaves these Christians as structural victims in their own countries,” he said. Third, he said, individuals can help shape a climate of public opinion that sees “both humanitarian and effective protection of the rights of these people” as a priority.

Tomasi stressed that from the Vatican’s point of view, what’s most important is not that these victims are Christian, but that they’re human beings whose lives and dignity are in jeopardy.

“We are not fighting for Christians simply because they’re Christians,” he said. “We start from the foundation that they are human beings with equal rights.”

“Christians, Yazidis, Shi’ites, Sunis, Alawites, all are human beings whose rights deserve to be protected,” he said. “Christians are a special target at this moment, but we want to help them without excluding anyone.”

“There’s a common human dignity we all share,” he said, “and it should be protected at all costs.”

Rajnath promises to examine visa denial to Vatican officials

February 6, 2015 by Nasheman

New Delhi: Under attack for denial of visa to two Vatican officials, Home Minister Rajnath Singh today promised to examine the issue and take necessary action.

This was conveyed by Singh to a delegation of Christian leaders who called on him at his North Block office here.

“The Home Minister told the delegation that he would ask the concerned officials to give a report as to why the visa was denied to the Vatician officials,” a Home Ministry official said.

The two Vatican officials, who were to address the 27th national assembly of the ongoing Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) in Bengaluru, have been denied visas.

The decision to issue or deny visa is taken taken by the Foreigners’ Division of the Home Ministry. So far, there is no official communication from the Home Ministry as to why the visa was denied to them.

CCBI deputy secretary general Stephen Alathara claimed that the duo had applied for visas in December 2014 and were awaiting response from the Indian government.

However, on the travel day they were informed that their visa applications had been rejected due to technical reasons.

Vatican officials were to arrive in Bengaluru on Tuesday for the conference between February 3 and 9. It is being attended by 140 bishops from different parts of the country.

Archbishop Arthur Roche, secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, and Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, president of the Pontifical Mission Societies and Adjunct Secretary to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, were key speakers at the conference on the ‘Liturgy and Life’ session. The CCBI now plans to hold the session through video conferencing.

(PTI)

Vatican officials denied visa for Bengaluru meet, claims Catholic church

February 5, 2015 by Nasheman

Representational Image.

Bengaluru: The Catholic church today alleged that two key Vatican officials who were to address the 27th national assembly of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) in Bengaluru which began on February 3 had been denied visa.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, CCBI president, said the 140 bishops from across the world are attending the assembly that commenced yesterday.

Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, and Archbishop Protase Rugambwa, President of Pontifical Mission Societies and Adjunct Secretary to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, were key resource persons for the week-long conference.

CCBI is now planning to hold the session in which the two officials were scheduled to participate through video conferencing.

Though the two officials had applied for visa in mid-December, their applications were kept pending till the last minute and rejected, a CCBI statement said.

Sources claimed that even after the intervention by Vatican’s Secretary of State office the visa applications were kept pending.

(PTI)

Vatican recognises State of Palestine

Vatican backs military force to stop ISIS ‘genocide'

Rajnath promises to examine visa denial to Vatican officials

Vatican officials denied visa for Bengaluru meet, claims Catholic church

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