The following comes from a May 13 New York Times article by Jodi Rudoren and Diaa Hadid:
ROME — The Vatican said Wednesday that it had concluded a treaty to recognize Palestinian statehood, a symbolic but significant step welcomed by Palestinians but upsetting to the Israeli government.
Formal recognition of a Palestinian state by the Vatican, which has deep religious interests in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories that include Christian holy sites, lends a powerful signal of moral authority and legitimacy to the efforts by the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, to achieve statehood despite the long paralyzed Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Israel has grown increasingly alarmed about the increased international acceptance of Palestine as a state since the United Nations upgraded the Palestinian delegation’s status in 2012 to that of a nonmember observer state. A number of European countries have also signaled their acceptance of Palestinian statehood.
A statement from a joint commission of Vatican and Palestinian diplomatic officials, posted on the Vatican news website, said “the work of the commission on the text of the agreement has been concluded,” and that it would be submitted for formal approval and for signing “in the near future.”
A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under diplomatic protocol, said Israel was “disappointed to hear” about the Vatican’s use of the term “state” in its new treaty.
Neville Y. Lamdan, a former Israeli ambassador to the Holy See, said the main importance of the Vatican recognition of Palestinian statehood was the “moral authority and weight” it confers.
“The real question is why the Vatican came round to this step,” Mr. Lamdan said. “It certainly would be a very deliberate and carefully weighed decision; there’s nothing accidental about it.”
The Vatican has supported the idea of statehood for the Palestinians since the days of the Mandate. This just carries the idea one step further.
Nope.
Peace will not come in the Middle East if the boundaries of a Palestinian “State” limit Israel’s ability to defend itself, and if there are not Israeli security forces within the “State” to prevent the continuing indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel.
Peace can only come from God. He may use Pope Francis as an instrument, but it is up to God Himself. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain.
Israel should be worried. Pope Francis gives every indication of being a Palestinian admirer, a deep one. This is a Zombie-Liberal affectation that is endemic in universities and governments everywhere: not many people like Jews, it seems.
This is one issue that Vatican II got right. The Jewish People are the chosen people of God. This was set in the beginning of Mankind’s relationship with God (after the Fall of Adam and Eve). The Covenant formed by God with the Jews will not ever — and can not ever — be changed.
Jesus — a Jew — permitted us — the goyim — to be part of the plan of salvation (without becoming Jewish). St. John Paul II was correct to refer to Jews as our “elder brothers”. Christ was killed by some Jews (and Romans) but the Covenant with the Jews was not eliminated by this. In God’s time and way, this will be fully known, but the Jews remain the “chosen” people.
Jews have been reviled and hated by Mankind throughout history. This hatred will continue, and Israel will need her allies, like the USA, to assist her in maintaining peace and security. Satan knows this. It seems clear that one key goal of the devil is the elimination of Israel, and the re-enslavement of its people.
Francis plays into Lucifer’s plan by “recognizing” a Palestinian state. Their leaders have done nothing — nothing — for decades except to make war. Money given to Palestine for its development has gone into weapons development and terrorism.
Pope Francis is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I suppose I offer too many website but do often people are much better at expressing themselves than I could hope to aspire. This is such a one…he sums up exactly how I feel about this papacy and some of our cardinals but in a loving faithful and scriptural ly accurate way. Please watch Fr Clovis! https://gloria.tv/media/CG5Dyd1WWLg
St. Christopher, “Salvation is from the Jews,” as Our Lord Jesus said, who was himself from the tribe of Judah, and who was the ultimate Jew. Nevertheless, God promised in the Old Testament to Hagar that he would protect her son, Ismael, and make of him a great nation, so God loved Ismael too, a son of Abraham.
Therefore, should not this pope, whose patron is St. Francis of Assisi, who desired the conversion of the Muslims, go to the children of Abraham and Hagar to preach the Gospel as St. Francis himself did? I think indeed he should, without ignoring the fact that the New Covenant through Jesus Christ, a Jew, IS the fulfillment of the Old Covenant to the Children of Israel and the tribe of Judah and the whole world.
Pray for the conversion of the Muslim people right along with the conversion of the Jewish people, not by the sword but by love. It is the Catholic Church that has the Tabernacle now AND the Ark of the Covenant, the Virgin Mary, as recorded in the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the Apocalypse (the book of Revelation). Ask Our Lady of Fatima’s intercession for the conversion of both Jews and Muslims as on her mantle is a Moorish design and a Star of David, therefore she showed her love to both. Pray that we all be united in Christ Jesus.
Jesus I trust in you; have mercy on us and the whole world.
I pray, too, for he who calls himself YFC, whether he is one or many. I know I been hard on him at times, though I felt it necessary, but he, I am sure, has had his wounds, too, just as we all have had. I pray the God Lord heals those wounds, opens his eyes and he remains faithful to the end. I pray for that for all of us.
Correction: Good Lord, not God Lord.
Peace will come to the Middle East when the Pope convenes all the bishops and consecrates Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as Our Blessed Mother asked at Fatima.
There is so much wrong with this article. “Israeli occupied Palestinian territory”? There are no Israelis “occupying” the territory. Next door, yes. Within, no. Hamas has created a “Jew-free” zone, with almost as little tolerance for Christians. If they wanted peace and statehood, they could have had it long ago. Both Abbas and Arafat rejected it repeatedly, one of the primary sticking points being a recognition of Israel’s right to exist. It’s in Hamas’ charter. They refer to the Jews as the sons of Apes and Pigs, and promise to slaughter every last one of them. As more land has been given to them in exchange for “peace”, they use it to launch even more rockets. As the UN sends them materials for their infrastructure, they use it to build tunnels to invade Israeli elementary schools and kidnap their children. If they were to put down their weapons, there would be peace tomorrow. If the Israelis lowered their guard, they would be slaughtered. There is no moral equivalence here. Rewarding this and requiring no change at all will only result in more death and a greater oppression of the Palestinian people by their bloodthirsty leaders.
Until Our Lady’s wishes at Fatima are met, Russia will not be converted, and there will be no peace. Ave Maria Purrissima !
Church Logic:
Israel is a faithful ally of the United States.
The United States is the center of all evil in the world.
Therefore Israel is evil.
Contact me directly for more lessons in the Liberation Theology practiced by the Pope. By the way, it took the Vatican 46 years to recognize the “statehood” of Israel but only 3 years to recognize the Palestinian State.
Recently the Vatican surprisingly announced it would be making a statement about the warming of our planet. Notably they appear to be ready to give credence to the opinion that the warming is occurring because of humanity, a fact which has not yet been conclusive. The advancement of recognition by the USA of Cuba (a rogue and oppressive State) would seem to be a blunder in that the Castros have given no indication they are ready to change their ways. Now the Vatican wants Palestine to be recognized as a State much to Israel’s dismay. Would it not be better that we Catholics direct our attention on straightening out our own house than attempting to straighten out what should be left to the politicians of this world? “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s”.
Anyone who has ever traveled to the Holy Land can appreciate the right judgment of the Holy Father in recognizing Palestinian Statehood. Israel should recognize the right of Palestine to exist as a separate country just as Israel also has this same right. The Capital of Israel should be Tel Aviv. The City of Jerusalem should be an open City as Jews, Christians and Muslims all have their Holy Sites there. I am a faithful Catholic, an American, and a Republican.
There will not be peace until all men believe in Christ. How can you have peace without the Prince Of Peace?