DAILY CATHOLIC WEDNESDAY August 19, 1998 vol. 9, no. 162
NEWS & VIEWS |
VATICAN, ISRAEL NEAR ACCORD ON BISHOP'S APPOINTMENTJERUSALEM (CWNews.com) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today told reporters that his government hopes to resolve tensions with the Holy See over the appointment of a new bishop in Galilee.The Israeli leader had lodged a strong protest when Bishop Boutros Mouallem was named to head a Melkite-rite diocese in northern Israel. He insisted that Bishop Mouallem-- who is currently serving in Brazil-- is sympathetic toward the Palestinian cause. The Vatican quickly rejected the protest, saying that the Holy See would not be influenced by the government's demands, and emphasizing the church-state agreement in which Israel promised not to interfere in pastoral appointments.
Sources in Israel suggested that the government might not allow
Bishop Mouallem to enter the country. But today's statement by
Prime Minister Netanyahu suggested that negotiations between the
Israeli government and the Holy See could soon resolve the issue.
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Articles provided through Catholic World News Service. |
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