Rome, Italy, Dec 14, 2009 / 19:39 pm
On December 10, delegations from the Vatican and Israel met in another attempt to resolve legal disputes regarding ownership of more than 100 sites and other issues important to Christian religious residing and working in the middle eastern nation. It appears that there was progress made in the talks, but even that is being debated.
Despite varying reports from Israeli and Vatican sources to news media on the success of the Dec. 10 meetings, officially, progress is being made in the bilateral negotiations. In the official joint communiqué released at its closure, the recent meeting was described as having taken place "in an atmosphere of cordiality and mutual understanding."
Since 1993, the Vatican and the Israel have been at the negotiating table over the issue of property and taxation rights on historically Christian assets within Israeli borders. Included among the contested locations, said Asia News sources, are holy places such as the Shrine of the Annunciation in Nazareth and perhaps the most prized site, the Cenacle, believed to be the chamber where the Last Supper took place.
The difficulty in deciding the future legal status of these sites is that Israel would like to reserve expropriation rights in order to develop infrastructure around, under or even over them. The idea of converting these sites into "roads and sidewalks" has kept the Vatican at the negotiating table.