Vatican-funded sports club sponsors tournament named after terrorist mass murderer Abu Jihad

Palestinian Media Watch reports:

The Jerusalem Clubs Association, which is funded by the Vatican, sponsored a football tournament for youth named after arch-terrorist Abu Jihad. On numerous occasions, the PA has glorified Abu Jihad because he planned terror attacks that killed 125 Israelis.

According to the official PA daily, the Abu Jihad Football Tournament was "held under the auspices of the Jerusalem Clubs Association, in the framework of its program that is funded by the Pontifical Mission."

The Pontifical Mission is "the Papal agency for Middle East relief and development," according to its website. "Pope Pius XII mobilized worldwide Catholic aid, establishing in 1949 a temporary agency - the Pontifical Mission for Palestine - to feed, clothe and educate Palestinian refugees." [Pontifical Mission-Jerusalem's website, accessed May 2, 2016]

Palestinian Media Watch has reported that Abu Jihad is routinely honored by the PA and Fatah, by having sports events, summer camps, and other events named after him. This is the first time Vatican funding has been involved in glorifying Abu Jihad.

 read more

Catholic Church in Israel blames Jewish state for current Palestinian violence

The Pope speaks about fighting antisemitism.  Now's his chance to show he's serious.

Via Jerusalem Post:

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which represents the Catholic Church in the region, accused Israel on Thursday of responsibility for the recent wave of Palestinian violence, saying Israeli policy has created despair and frustration among Palestinians leading them to carry out acts of terrorism.

The Latin Patriarchate spelled out its position in a statement of the “Commission for Justice and Peace” of its Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries, a panel of the leading Catholic clerics in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Cyprus.

It failed however to make any mention of incitement to violence within Palestinian society, on social media, or from PA officials , although the document did say that “Israelis who need security and tranquility.”

(...)

“It is the siege of Jerusalem and the Judaization of the city, the sending away of its Palestinian inhabitants. It is the all-inclusive accusation of terrorism against all Palestinians and the collective punishment that results from it,” observed the Commission for Justice and Peace. 

read more

Vatican: Pope silent when asked to recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people

Last year the Pope wrote in an email that "anyone who does not recognize the Jewish people and the State of Israel — and their right to exist — is guilty of anti-Semitism".

Jews assumed this means the Pope thinks that not recognizing Israel as Jewish is antisemitic.  But that's not what he said.  He said the Jewish people and the State of Israel have a right to exist.  Each one separately.

The Pope repeated that statement a few months later: "Israel has every right to exist"

Does it have a right to exist as the state of the Jewish people?  The Pope never said so.

Christian Today, a British Christian news-site, reported that the Pope was "ambushed" with that question and that Israel as a Jewish state is a "highly controversial issue".



Via Arutz 7:

The rabbi told Arutz Sheva that during the visit he turned to the pope and asked him to declare that the church recognizes the state of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, but the clearly embarrassed pope simply responded with silence.

Rabbi Arusi said that while the Catholic church has conducted something of an about face in recent years regarding its relations with the Jewish people, there remains much that it must do.

"The church ignores the state of Israel as the state of the Jewish people, they talk about the Holy Land, but not about the state of Israel," he said.

"Therefore during the meeting with the rabbis after the public event, I turned to the pope and I told him that we appreciate his words against anti-Semitism, but today there is a new and very fierce anti-Semitism built on the basis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

The rabbi called on the pope to be "the Balfour of the Catholic church, and since the land of Israel is the Holy Land and they recognize our birthright, they should declare that the state of Israel is the state of the Jewish people by virtue of the Bible, without diminishing the rights of the Palestinians to a state."

In response, "the pope was very embarrassed by my request, he was never told that directly, and afterwards he smiled but didn't say a thing. I think that the time has come for them to indeed recognize the state of Israel as the state of the Jewish people."

read more

Vatican asks to be removed from Palestinian flag initiative at United Nations

The Vatican pretending to be neutral!  "[...] the Vatican made clear that while it did not object to the Palestinians proposing a resolution to fly their own flag, the Holy See had no plans to join the initiative - even though the Vatican formally recognized the State of Palestinian earlier this year."  All this while Christians are being persecuted in the Middle East!

The Jerusalem Post reports:

Mahmoud Abbas,
the "angel of peace".

The Vatican on Tuesday asked the Palestinian UN mission to remove all references to it from a draft resolution the Palestinians have prepared for the General Assembly calling for the flags of Palestine and the Holy See to fly at the UN

The Palestinian draft resolution, which was seen by Reuters, says that the flags of non-member observer states "shall be raised at the United Nations Headquarters and Offices following the flags of the member states of the United Nations."

The draft resolution specifically refers to both the Vatican and the State of Palestine, both of which are non-member observer states at the United Nations.  [...]

The flag-flying resolution, which diplomats said the Palestinians were expected to circulate to the full assembly as early as on Wednesday, had apparently been prepared without the explicit consent of the Vatican's mission to the United Nations.

In a note circulated to some UN members and seen by Reuters, the Vatican made clear that while it did not object to the Palestinians proposing a resolution to fly their own flag, the Holy See had no plans to join the initiative - even though the Vatican formally recognized the State of Palestinian earlier this year.

"The Holy See does not intend to co-sponsor a draft resolution that the State of Palestine may eventually present on the matter," the note said.

"The Holy See asks the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations kindly to remove in its draft resolution any reference to the 'Holy See' and any generic reference 'on behalf of the Observer States'," it added. Read more.

Vatican: Pope Frances in favour of Iran deal

Susan Warner writes @ Gatestone Institute: The Iran Deal: How Christians Choose Sides

[...] The ink was barely dry on the 150-page final agreement when the Vatican [...] released a statement in favor of the Iran deal, pronouncing it an "important step" and calling for a "commitment to make it bear fruit," basically affirming the Pope's wish for peace in our time. [...]

According to a statement released by the Vatican on July 14, just as the deal was made public, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi said in response to reporters' questions that

"The agreement on the Iranian nuclear program is viewed in a positive light by the Holy See. It constitutes an important outcome of the negotiations carried out so far, although continued efforts and commitment on the part of all involved will be necessary in order for it to bear fruit. It is hoped that those fruits will not be limited to the field of nuclear programme, but may indeed extend further."

Pope Francis communicated his support of initial framework of the Iran deal in his Easter message, one month after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke out strongly against it in an attempt to convince both Houses of Congress that the deal was not only not going to provide peace but was instead a pathway to war. Read more.

Vatican: Pope backs sainthood candidacy of anti-Semitic priest

For centuries the Roman Catholic Church persecuted Jews and accused them of being, among other sins, perfidious.  The contempt the Church felt for Jews was taught in Europe and exported to all parts of the world.

The Times of Israel reports:

French Roman Catholic priest
Léon Dehon
(1843-1925)

Pope Francis raised eyebrows on Friday by supporting the candidacy for sainthood of a French priest whose dossier was put on hold in 2005 because of his alleged anti-Semitic views.

Léon Dehon (1843-1925), founder of the Priests of the Sacred Heart order, had been declared venerable in 1997 by pope John Paul II but his beatification — the next step on the path to sainthood — ran into difficulties. It had been initially scheduled for April 2005 but was delayed by John Paul II’s death.

Attempts to revive his case stalled under Francis’s predecessor Benedict XVI, who set up a commission to investigate the allegations of anti-Semitism. But Francis told a Priests of the Sacred Heart delegation on Friday that he wanted the beatification process to “end well” and insisted Dehon’s attitude be placed in a historical context, according to religious news agency I.Media.

 “It’s a hermeneutic problem… We must study a historic situation with the hermeneutic of the time rather than of today,” he said.

In his 1898 “Social Catechism”, Dehon wrote that Jews “have maintained their hatred of Christ and… willingly favor all the enemies of the Church.” According to French newspaper reports from 2005, he described the Talmud as the “manual of the bandit, corruptor, social destroyer” and anti-Semitism as a “sign of hope”.

The Washington Post (2005): "According to extracts published in the French Catholic newspaper La Croix, Dehon wrote that Jews were "thirsty for Gold" and that "lust for money is a racial instinct in them"; he called the Talmud "a manual for the bandit, the corrupter, the social destroyer"; and he recommended several measures later adopted by the Nazis, including that Jews wear special markings, live in ghettos and be excluded from land ownership, judgeships and teaching positions"

Christianity survives in Judea and Samaria because Jews are willing to die for Jerusalem. How many Christians are willing to die for Jerusalem?

J.P. Goldman (Spengler) writes @ Pajamas Media:

While the government of Egypt stands siege against the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the Palestine branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, namely Hamas, got a boost from the Vatican May 13 when the Vatican announced that it would recognize a Palestinian State. Although the titular president of the Palestine Authority Mahmoud Abbas sat in the Vatican garden with Pope Francis for the announcement, Hamas has a margin of support over Abbas’ feckless Fatah party of 2:1 by most estimates. Abbas is in the eleventh year of a five-year term, and cannot call elections because Hamas would win. He holds office because the Israeli Army props him up in power against the radical majority.  [...]

Judging from the opinion polls, a State of Palestine today would have a Hamas majority of about two-thirds, with substantial representation from elements of ISIS. Why would the Vatican wish this plague upon itself? If a Palestnian State rules the Old City of Jerusalem, the Christian holy sites will be razed by Muslim radicals, just as they were in Iraq. Christianity survives in Judea and Samaria because Jews are willing to die for Jerusalem. How many Christians are willing to die for Jerusalem? The Vatican should ponder this question.

There are two answers. The first is that for the most part, Arab Christians are Arabs first and Christians second, just as French and German Christians in 1914 were French and Germans first, and Christians second.  The leadership of the Arab churches in confession with Rome has always tried to prove its loyalty tot he Arab cause by taking an especially vociferous stand against Israel, for example, during the 2010 Synod of Middle East Bishops. I reviewed the sad history of Levantine Christianity in a 2009 essay for Asia Times. It is impossible to exaggerate the anguish of a Church on the verge of extinction in his historic cradle.

The second answer lies in the peculiar theology of Pope Francis himself, who has a pronounced millennarian streak, as I wrote in this space last year. [...]  Francis is a pope for people who want the warm feeling of Catholicism without its obligations, and that is what makes him so popular.

It is one thing to forgive one’s enemies, and quite another to encourage them. That is what Pope Francis has done by recognizing the fiction of a Palestinian State. When the pope visited the Holy Land last year I warned, “ear that the Church, the founding institution of the West, its pillar and mainstay, has lost its moorings. The State of Israel will do quite well without it; it was founded in 1947 against the opposition of the Church then immeasurably more influential, and does not require the blessing of the Church to flourish today. But Bergoglio’s behavior in the Holy Land bespeaks a dilution of the Church’s self-understanding and a deviation from its mission.”

Benedict XVI emphasized God’s particular love for Israel; Francis hopes that all will be saved. Except for the good offices of the Egyptian Army and the Israel Defense Force, his hope will be vain where Middle Eastern Christians are concerned.  More.

Vatican Insider boasts Israel shocked with agreement between Palestinians and Holy See

This is how the Vatican Insider reports the news with obvious delight:

Their meeting in the Vatican lasted twenty minutes and “great satisfaction” was expressed regarding the bilateral agreement. Tomorrow the Palestinian leader will be attending the ceremony for the canonization of the first two modern-day Palestinian saints. “See you tomorrow,” Abu Mazen said as he took his leave [from the Pope].

Despite Israel’s shock at the recent agreement between Palestine and the Holy See, the Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See, Zion Evrony, will be present at tomorrow’s mass, accompanied by his wife and entourage.

The Italian version states that Israel reacted with "perplexity":

«Ci vediamo domani», ha detto Abu Mazen accomiatandosi dal Papa. Domani, nonostante lo Stato di Israele abbia reagito con perplessità alla recente sigla dell’accordo tra Palestina e Santa Sede, sarà rappresentata domani dall’ambasciatore presso la Santa Sede, Zion Evrony, accompagnato dalla consorte e dal seguito, alla messa di domani.

Vatican: Pope calls Abbas 'angel of peace'

Last month the Pope said that "every Christian must be firm in deploring anti-Semitism, and show their solidarity with the Jewish people".   This week he welcomed Mahmoud Abbas, a Holocaust denier in his past, and an inciter to kill Jews in the present.  

The pope did not deplore Palestinian antisemitism and did not show any solidarity with the Jewish people. 

Via the Times of Israel:

Pope Francis praised Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as an “angel of peace” during a meeting at the Vatican.

Francis made the compliment Saturday during the traditional exchange of gifts at the end of an official audience in the Apostolic Palace. He presented Abbas with a medallion and explained that it represented the angel of peace “destroying the bad spirit of war.”

Francis said he thought the gift was appropriate since “you are an angel of peace.”

Abbas is in town for the canonization Sunday of two new saints from what was then Ottoman-ruled Palestine. It also comes days after the Vatican finalized a bilateral treaty with the “state of Palestine,” making explicit its recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Update: The Vatican claims the Pope merely said that Abbas "could be an angel of peace".   Frankly, I don't see the big difference.

Israel: Pope prays by his graffiti message comparing Israel to the Nazis

Via Tom Gross Mideast Media Analysis: On his visit to Bethlehem, the Pope posed to pray by the security barrier.  Which happens to have a "Bethlehem look like Warsaw Ghetto" graffiti.

The graffiti is not there 'from time immemorial'.  It's part of a message to the Pope.  The entire thing says "Pope we need some one to speak about justice, Bethlehem look like Warsaw Ghetto".

In case anybody thought this was an unplanned stop..

All the news stories I saw decided to cut the graffiti out.  The Arab press didn't.

Vatican: Priest Likens Criticism Over Abuse to Anti-Semitism (update: old news)

Update: This is a story from four years ago.  I did not notice when first posting.

A senior Vatican priest, speaking before Pope Benedict XVI at a Good Friday service, compared the world’s outrage at sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church to the persecution of the Jews, prompting angry responses from victims’ advocates and consternation from Jewish groups.

(...)

Speaking in St. Peter’s Basilica, the priest, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, took note that Easter and Passover fell during the same week this year, and said he was led to think of the Jews.

“They know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence, and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms,” said Father Cantalamessa, who serves under the title of preacher of the papal household. Then he quoted from what he said was a letter from a Jewish friend he did not identify.

“I am following the violent and concentric attacks against the church, the pope and all the faithful by the whole world,” he said the friend wrote. “The use of stereotypes, the passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt, remind me of the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.”

More: New York Times