Dec 20, 2007 / 10:00 am
In a pre-Christmas address on Wednesday, a high-ranking Catholic cleric in the Holy Land criticized Israel’s official identity as a Jewish state for discriminating against non-Jews, the Associated Press reports.
Archbishop Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, delivered his address in Arabic and English. He said other religions are naturally discriminated against in any state of one religion. He said Israel should abandon its Jewish character in favor of a "political, normal state for Christians, Muslims and Jews."
"This land cannot be exclusive for anyone," he said.
The archbishop also criticized Israel’s visa restrictions as unfair to Christian clergy.