Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04VATICAN1445
2004-04-13 15:34:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vatican
Cable title:  

HOLY SEE REQUESTS U.S. APPROACH ISRAEL ON VISAS

Tags:  IS PGOV PHUM PREL VT PLO 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 001445 

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR NEA/IPA AND EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2013
TAGS: IS PGOV PHUM PREL VT PLO
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE REQUESTS U.S. APPROACH ISRAEL ON VISAS
FOR RELIGIOUS WORKERS IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES


Classified By: Charge d'affairs D. Brent Hardt. Reasons: 1.5 (b)
and (d).

-------
Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 001445

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR NEA/IPA AND EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2013
TAGS: IS PGOV PHUM PREL VT PLO
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE REQUESTS U.S. APPROACH ISRAEL ON VISAS
FOR RELIGIOUS WORKERS IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES


Classified By: Charge d'affairs D. Brent Hardt. Reasons: 1.5 (b)
and (d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Vatican Foreign Minister equivalent Archbishop
Giovanni Lajolo told the Ambassador April 6 of the Holy See's
mounting frustration with Israel's unwillingness to address
visa and residency problems for religious workers in Israel
and the Palestinian Territories. The obstacles faced by
Catholic religious workers in obtaining the required visas
and residency permits have created "great difficulties" for
the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to have contact with
Catholic faithful in the territories and to train
seminarians, Lajolo emphasized. In light of Prime Minister
Sharon's upcoming meeting with the President, Lajolo
requested U.S. intervention with Israel to encourage action
to resolve this problem. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal
Sodano had raised the Holy See's concerns on Israeli visa
issues with Vice President Cheney during his January 27
meeting in the Vatican, asking him to urge Israel to engage
more seriously with the Holy See to resolve the visa and
residency concerns. End Summary.

--------------
Vatican Appeal for U.S. Help
--------------


2. (C) During an April 6 meeting to discuss Iraq (septel),
Holy See Foreign Minister equivalent Archbishop Giovanni
Lajolo told the Ambassador that the Vatican was currently
having "some problems" with Israel relating to visas and
residency permits for religious workers in Israel and the
Palestinian Territories. At present, he pointed out, there
were at least 138 cases of pending requests for residency
permits, most of whom have already worked in the region and
who are simply seeking renewals. The Holy See has raised its
concerns repeatedly with Israel, including with President
Katsav, Foreign Minister Shalom and with Israel's Minister of
Internal Affairs. Foreign Minister Shalom told the Holy See
in December 2003 that the difficulties were due to "Israeli
bureaucracy and to concerns over security" -- a position

repeated by Israel's Ambassador to the Holy See. Shalom's
promise to set up a working group to study the pending
questions has yet to be followed up. In the meantime, many
religious workers are being detained for lack of visas or
renewed permits, and others are unable to leave the
territories even for family emergencies out of fear of being
denied reentry. In this context, Lajolo said the Holy See
would appreciate if the U.S. could encourage the Government
of Israel "to have more humanity on this point." The
Ambassador promised to convey the Holy See's concerns to
Washington and advise of any action taken.

--------------
Background to the Residency Problems
--------------


3. (C) To reinforce his points, Lajolo passed the Ambassador
a memorandum (text below) detailing the background to the
current difficulties. The memo points out that the Latin
Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which is responsible for Catholics
in Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, and Cyprus,
"must be able to have contact with its faithful," and
therefore must have the right to train seminarians and
appoint religious personnel. Both the Patriarchate and the
Vatican's Nunciature in Jerusalem assume responsibility for
the religious personnel and their activities in the
Palestinian territories, the latter issuing laissez-passer to
the workers. The Holy See regards Israel's citing security
concerns as a reason for delaying the permits as
demonstrating "a lack of regard" for the Patriarchate and
Nunciature. It also notes that the "Fundamental Agreement"
which established diplomatic relations between Israel and the
Holy See in 1994 recognizes the right of the Church to
"train, appoint, and deploy" its personnel in institutions of
a religious, moral, educational, and charitable character.


4. (C) The memo details key diplomatic contacts to date on
the issue, pointing out that President Katsav promised the
Holy See's Secretary of State Sodano "his personal attention"
to the matter of visas during a December 2002 meeting. In
July 2003, the Vatican presented Israeli Foreign Minister
Shalom a pro-memoria again raising the issue of visas to
religious personnel. In December 2003, FM Shalom told
Cardinal Sodano that the continuing difficulties were due to
"Israeli bureaucracy and to concerns over security," and
proposed the creation of a working group to examine the
issue. In March 2004, the Nuncio in Jerusalem wrote to the
Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs indicating that the


situation remained unresolved and was "in clear violation of
a number of points in the Fundamental Agreement." The
Vatican's perception is that Israel appears to be denying
permits to any religious worker who has worked permanently in
the Palestinian Territories or who intends to work there.
This policy, they have concluded, is "tantamount to impeding
the provision of pastoral care in the Territories."

--------------
Comment
--------------


5. (C) The continuing visa and residency permit problems have
brought the Holy See's relationship with Israel to a nadir
not seen since the hopeful launch of relations in March 1994.
Israel unexpectedly broke off discussion to conclude the
outstanding aspects of the Fundamental Agreement in August
2003, and was actively considering closing its Vatican
Embassy. Then, in late 2003, Prime Minister Sharon
deliberately avoided calling on the Pope during a three day
visit to Rome in late 2003 despite quiet Vatican overtures
indicating the Pope would welcome such a call. FM Lajolo
indicated that the Holy See would have protested the breaking
off of negotiations publicly, but believed this would have
been counterproductive. He emphasized to the Ambassador,
however, that there were "limits to (the Vatican's) patience"
on this issue, as it was seriously affecting the Church's
ability to meet its pastoral needs. Lajolo lamented that
there appeared to be "a strong anti-church, anti-Catholic
feeling" within the Israeli government -- a view echoed last
week by an NGO group active in Catholic-Jewish
inter-religious dialogue -- and admitted that the Holy See
was not sure what it could do to improve the situation. This
frustration is reflected in the Holy See's statement in its
memo suggesting it has been placed on an "enemy list."
Lajolo noted that the Nuncio in Jerusalem had recently
cautioned the Israeli government that, in ignoring the Holy
See's concerns and repeatedly stonewalling a resolution of
the residency issue, it was alienating one of its better
friends.

--------------
Text of Vatican Memorandum
--------------

Begin text:

Memorandum

a. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem extends over Israel,
the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Jordan and Cyprus.
It must be able to have contact with its faithful and they
with it, and to this end the right to train its seminarians
and to appoint freely its own religious personnel must be
guaranteed. The difficulties placed on the religious
personnel of the Latin Patriarchate are not without negative
repercussions on the relations between Israel and the Holy
See.

b. Israel has always granted residence permits to Jordanian
seminarians, without any security risk being verified.
Seminarians and religious personnel are not like any other
citizens, whose activities in the territory may not be known
to the Authorities.

c. Both the Patriarchate and the Nunciature (which grants
the Laissez-Passer to them) assume responsibility for them;
to cite reasons of security constitutes a lack of regard for
the two institutions which sponsor them.

d. Israel is free to place whatever countries it wishes on
its enemy list, but Catholics in themselves cannot be
considered enemies of Israel.

e. The "Fundamental Agreement" (art. 3, sec. 2) recognizes
the right of the Church "to train, appoint and deploy" its
own personnel in its institutions of a religious, moral,
educational and charitable character.

12th December 2002: The Head of State of Israel, Moshe
Katsav, promises the Cardinal Secretary of State his personal
attention concerning the question of visas.

10th July 2003: Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Silvan
Shalom, receives from the Cardinal Secretary of State a "pro
- memoria" which raises, in point number 2, the question of
the issuing of visas to religious personnel.

11th December 2003: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shalom,
explains to the Cardinal Secretary of State that the
difficulties are due to Israeli bureaucracy and to concerns
over security; he proposes the setting up of a working group


to study pending questions.

23rd March 2004: The Nuncio writes a letter to the Minister
of Internal Affairs (with copies to the Prime Minister and
the Minister for Foreign Affairs) indicating that, in clear
violation of a number of points of the Fundamental Agreement,
the situation had not been resolved.

To date there are at least 138 known cases of pending
requests for the granting of a residence permit, (89 male
Religious and seminarians (of whom 66 are Franciscans!) and
49 Religious Sisters): the majority of these people have
already been in the Country for a number of years (some for
more than 15) and need a simple renewal. Of the applicants,
54 come from Asia or the West, and 84 are Arabs from various
countries. In particular, it seems that the political line
taken in recent times is to deny the residence permit to
those who, in the past, have worked permanently or who intend
to work in the Palestinian Territories. That is tantamount
to impeding the provision of pastoral care in the
Territories, access to which is now possible only through
Israel.

From the Vatican, April 6th, 2004.

End text.

HARDT


NNNN


2004VATICA01445 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL