VATICAN, Oct. 19, 00 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State, has indicated that he still hopes for success in the Middle East peace process.
"I believe that in the end, the ideal of peace will be triumphant," the cardinal told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. He observed that both Israeli and Palestinian leaders are now calling for peace, and suggested that eventually their efforts would bear fruit. "I think that in time-- soon, I hope-- peace will arrive," he said.
Everyone involved in the current conflict has an incentive to find a lasting peace, the cardinal continued. "The peoples-- Israelis and Palestinians-- are called to live together," he remarked.
Cardinal Sodano also expressed satisfaction that world leaders are paying careful attention to a proposal advanced by the Holy See, suggesting that Jerusalem should be given international status to protect free access to the holy places of the world's great religions. Such a suggestion, he noted, would enable Israeli and Palestinian negotiators to overcome the current impasse on the question of sovereignty over the holy city.
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update
19. oktober 2000