NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Relations between the Holy See and the government of Israel have suffered a setback, according to the former apostolic nuncio to the Holy Land.

      Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, who recently returned to Rome, said that the Israeli decision to build a new housing complex in Jerusalem, in an Arab neighborhood, is a "very grave" problem, which will cause further damage to the peace process.

      However, the veteran Vatican diplomat indicated that he has changed his mind on one question: After several years of stating his opposition to a papal trip to the Holy Land, on the grounds that political conditions there would make such a visit premature, Archbishop Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo now says that a visit by Pope John Paul might actually help to unblock the peace process.

      Finally, the former nuncio charged that Israel still does not allow free movement of pilgrims around Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem. And he noted that a treaty ensuring the legal status of Church entities, signed last year, has still not been formally ratified.

      The archbishop, who was posted in Jerusalem for 8 years, was a key figure in the negotiations that produced the historic 1993 accord which led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the Holy See. He has recently taken up new responsibilities as apostolic nuncio to Italy.