VATICAN, Apr 18, 02 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican may send a special envoy to Bethlehem, in answer to a request from the city's mayor, in an effort to resolve the stalemate at the Church of the Nativity.
Mayor Hanna Nasser asked Pope John Paul II for help after a plan for negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian representatives collapsed on Thursday, April 18.
The mayor observed that the situation is becoming "more complicated every day," as the stalemate entered its 16th day. The confrontation at the Church of the Nativity began when 200 Palestinian gunmen broke into the church and barricaded themselves there. They remain trapped inside, surrounding by Israeli troops. There are also 40 Franciscan friars and nuns, and 20 Orthodox monks, inside the church compound.
Pope John Paul may send a personal envoy to Bethlehem, to confer with both Israeli and Palestinian representatives, in an effort to move negotiations forward. A decision from the Vatican is expected shortly.
There is some precedent for such a mission. In June 2001, the Holy Father sent Cardinal Pio Laghi, the former prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, on a personal mission to the Holy Land. Cardinal Laghi spoke privately with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat, conveying a personal message from the Pope.
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18. april 2002