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"SAVE MT. ZION" ellenwrite@bezeqint.net


The Committee to Save Mt. Zion is issuing this
update because there has been
a marked and visible increase in the Vatican's
calculated efforts to exert
pressure upon Israel via the United States and
through other diplomatic
(and not-so-diplomatic) channels. The following
issues are at stake:
a) The status of Jerusalem, holy sites and other
properties in Eretz
Yisrael.
b) The efforts on the part of the Catholic church
to evade their tax
obligations to the State of Israel, and to assume
extra-territorial status.
c) Blatant interference by the Catholic church in
Israel's security
concerns.
d) A concerted effort by the Catholic Church to
proselytize in Eretz
Yisrael.
Now that Archbishop Pietro Sambi (formerly the
Vatican's representative to
Israel and the PA) has been appointed by the Pope
as the new U.S. Papal
Nuncio, we ask that Diaspora Jewry pay particular
attention to developments
and that they take a pro-active stance on
protecting Jerusalem and ensuring
that the Land of Israel and her holy sites remain
in Jewish hands. We hope
the below summary will bring you up to date. For
additional background
information on this issue go to:
http://isfsp.org/zion.html
http://isfsp.org/updates.html
A SUMMARY OF EVENTS:
OCTOBER 12 - Mid NOVEMBER: The Vatican, the
London Times, and other
international news services report an imminent
deal involving the
relinquishing of Israel's control, to the
Vatican, of the Cenacle Shrine
(Last Supper Room), which is housed in the same
Mt. Zion building as King
David's Tomb and the Diaspora Yeshiva.
NOVEMBER 2005 ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE "INSIDE THE
VATICAN" FEATURES COVER
STORY:
DESOLATE CENACLE - The Cradle of the Eucharist:
Will this Room of the Last
Supper in Jerusalem soon be Given Back to the
Pope?
Please see attached jpeg of the magazine cover or
go to
http://www.insidethevatican.com/images/issue-nov
05-lg.jpg
NOVEMBER 2nd and 9th: President Katsav's office
officially issues denials of
any deal after an outpouring of public protest
and publicity via phone
calls, fax, email, blogsites, radio and Israeli
press reports.

NOVEMBER 16: the question of a possible deal is
brought before the Knesset
and denied by Minister Meir Sheetrit.
NOVEMBER 16: President Katsav meets with the Pope
in Rome and discusses
unresolved property and tax issues.
NOVEMBER 17: Haaretz article outlines American
intervention and the
pressure placed upon Israel to complete
negotiations with the Vatican.
Father David Jaeger reportedly feels that, " ...
the Israeli government only
wakes up when it comes under pressure from the
Americans."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=64677
8
DECEMBER 19 : In what appears to be a calculated
move to pressure Israel
via Washington, Pope Benedict XVI appoints
Archbishop Pietro Sambi as the
new U.S. Papal Nuncio. Sambi served as the
Vatican's representative to
Israel and Palestine.
Israeli Franciscan Father David Jaeger, a
longtime participant in
Vatican-Israeli talks, said he thought Archbishop
Sambi would be an
"extremely effective nuncio in the United
States...I'm sure he will take the
capital by storm," Father Jaeger said...
...During his years in Israel, Archbishop Sambi
was involved in talks or
negotiations on a wide variety of controversial
issues with the government
of Israel and representatives of the Palestine
Liberation Organization...
...Archbishop Sambi has negotiated with Israel to
reach an agreement on
taxation and financial issues regarding church
institutions in the Holy
Land. To date, those talks have not born fruit.
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0507214.htm
DECEMBER 22-23: REPORT: CHURCHES OWE MILLIONS TO
JERUSALEM - VATICAN
GREATEST OFFENDER: Churches owe more than $65
million to the city of
Jerusalem in overdue property taxes...
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY - Dec 23, 2005
http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=620
Jerusalem Post, Israel - Dec 22, 2005
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1134309633370&pagename=JPost%2FJP
Article%2FShowFull
Catholic World News - Dec 23, 2005
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=41423
DECEMBER 24: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Michael Sabbah says, the barrier
­ which Israel says it erected to curb suicide
bombings and Palestinians say
is a land grab ­ has turned the town into an
"immense prison"... "Nobody
needs checkpoints in the Holy Land."
http://www.cbc.ca/storyview/MSN/world/national/2005/12/24/bethlehem
051224.html
DECEMBER 30: The Jerusalem Post reports that the
Latin Patriarch of
Jerusalem, Michael Sabbah and President Moshe
Katsav exchanged sharp words
at the annual New Year's reception at Beit
Hannasi (see attached picture of
the exchange)
JANUARY 3: VATICAN SAYS JERUSALEM "ISSUE" IS TOO
IMPORTANT TO LEAVE TO
ISRAEL, PA
(IsraelNN.com) The legal counsel of the Vatican
in Israel, the priest David
Jaeger, said today that Jerusalem is too
important of an "issue" to be left
to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Jaeger
further expressed criticism
of Israeli policy regarding holy sites in the
country.
"The issue of Jerusalem," the representative of
the Roman Catholic Church
said, "is to important to leave in the hands of
the Israelis and the
Palestinians."
The Catholic Church has been making efforts to
obtain historical sites in
Jerusalem of late, but without public successes.
http://israelnn.com/news.php3?id=95967
-----
OTHER STUFF:
SUGGESTED, IMPORTANT AND STRANGE READING:
ON CATHOLIC PROSELYTIZING EFFORTS:
The Vatican Explores Israel, and Discovers Its
Own Faithful
The number of Jewish Christians in Israel is
growing constantly, and the
Holy See is adapting. The new Custodian of the
Holy Land speaks Hebrew. And
in the Cenacle, soon to be returned to the
Church, the mass will again be
celebrated
http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=7043&eng=y
CHRISTIAN PLANS FOR MT. ZION
Since 1948, Mt. Zion has been part of Israel. The
government's Department of
Religious Affairs now administers both floors of
the building. The
pseudo-tomb of David is used as a Jewish
synagogue and the upper room is
left open for Christian visitors... Perhaps one
day it will be excavated
more thoroughly. In the meantime, we may venerate
it as Christendom's most
ancient shrine: The mother of all churches.
http://www.centuryone.org/apostles.html
BIZARRE ALLIANCE BETWEEN PAPAL
KNIGHT/PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL AND EVANGELICAL
MESSIANIC MISSIONARY "RABBI" :
In the midst of celebrating the Chanukah
festival, prominent Rabbi Eddie
Chumney of Ohio has agreed to serve as an advisor
to Daniel Imperato¹s 2008
run at the White House...³I¹m more than happy to
help Dan and his mission to
change our country,² commented Chumney, who has
been heading up the HHMI
(Hebraic Heritage Ministries International) for
the past 10 years
(www.hebroots.org).
Recently a 150 year old Christian denomination of
about 700 churches agreed
to switch their entire denomination in 2006 to
the ³Hebraic roots of
Christianity² expression and be trained in the
HHMI discipleship program...http://openpr.com/news/2350.html
For more on "Rabbi Eddie" go to:
http://www.rickross.com/reference/general/general776.html
or get smart and support the efforts of
anti-missionary organizations like
http://www.outreachjudaism.org/
http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/