High-ranking Vatican official compares the Gaza Strip to “a concentration camp.”

Israel Condemns Vatican’s ‘Concentration Camp’ Remarks

By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: January 8, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/world/middleeast/09vatican.html

ROME — Tensions rose between the Vatican and Israel on Thursday after Israel condemned a high-ranking Vatican official for comparing the Gaza Strip to “a concentration camp.”

"Look at the conditions in Gaza: more and more, it resembles a big concentration camp,” Cardinal Renato Martino, the president of the Council for Justice and Peace, said in an interview published Wednesday in an online publication.

He defended his comments in the center-left daily newspaper La Repubblica on Thursday. While noting that Hamas rockets into Israel were “certainly not sugared almonds,” he called the situation in Gaza “horrific” and said conditions there went “against human dignity.”

Israel on Thursday harshly condemned the cardinal’s use of World War Two imagery. “We are astounded that a spiritual dignitary would have such words, that are so far removed from truth and dignity,” said Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

He added that it was “shocking to hear the vocabulary of Hamas propaganda coming from a member of the church.” But he denied that it would cause a diplomatic crisis. It “doesn’t change the nature of relations between Israel and the Holy See,” Mr. Palmor said.

The Vatican sought to downplay the cardinal’s remarks. The Vatican spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, called Cardinal Martino’s choice of words “inopportune,” and said they created “irritation and confusion” more than illumination.

While calling the cardinal “an authoritative person,” Rev. Lombardi added that “The more authoritative voice and line would be that of the pope.”

Indeed, the cardinal’s remarks overshadowed an important discourse that Pope Benedict XVI delivered on Thursday, in which he called for a ceasefire in Gaza and decried “a renewed outbreak of violence provoking immense damage and suffering for the civilian population.”

“Once again I would repeat that military options are no solution and that violence, wherever it comes from and whatever form it takes, must be firmly condemned,” he told diplomats accredited to the Vatican.

In unusually direct remarks, the pope looked ahead to “crucial elections” coming up in the Middle East and called for dialogue between Israel and Syria, the “strengthening of institutions” in Lebanon and a “negotiated solution” to “the controversy surrounding” Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel’s ambassador to the Vatican, Mordechay Lewy, said events Gaza had “no connection” to plans underway for Benedict to visit Israel, the West Bank and Jordan this spring. The Vatican has not yet officially announced the trip.

In the past, some Jews have seen the Vatican’s approach as more sympathetic to Palestinian suffering than Israeli security. Mr. Lewy called the pope’s speech “equivocal.”

“The language and the expectations of the Holy Father and the scope of his interests are different from those of a politician,” Mr. Lewy said. “In practical politics, I’m sure Israel wouldn’t have existed if we would have acted without any force.”

 

The Vatican cleric is correct.

If it had been any other country bombing children they would be screams of genocide. Even if Israel say its self-defence its actions are disproportinate and sadistic - and this comes people who have the claim to be God's chosen special ones.

 

Isreal should start kissing up to evangelicals in the U.S. - You take the protestant evangelical out of society and you are left with a society that is either neutral to Isreal or jew hating.

Isreal is losing the Vatican and Catholics.
They lost western europe.

Soon even the U.S. will not be supporting Isreal.

If the white liberal wing in the U.S. wants Isreal to survive - you will turn to the Sarah Palin supporting Christians and start telling them you love them. You will help increase their base and rebuild their power. (her base is your only significant base in the world.) The neocons got it - you need them. But the neocons screwed up. You need to be neocons with with more conservative social values and tax policy.

Isreal loving liberals should chuck their support of abortion and join up with U.S. Catholics and Evangelicals. At that point you would have a very strong base. And you could become part of the culture of life instead of the culture of death. The culture of life would of course support the life of Isreal. The rest of America would come along.

One issue baby and Isreal get its best shot at surviving

A delicious irony and I am wondering when the liberal media is going to get it.

 

the christians need the jews and isreal. that is where their imaginary jesus returns story plays out.

 

the christians need the jews and isreal. that is where their imaginary jesus returns story plays out.

 

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Good points Jem ;
and Gov Sarah simply outranks Katy KKouric. Spell checker not used.

I am a little bit suprised, the Israeli gov was suprised @ the religious Rome 's lack of support for israel. same city that put Jesus Christ & many Jews on the cross/killed them. Not to broad brush all Roman Catholics, some helped Rev falwell.

Christian World News[CWN news/CBN news website] had a good headline; ''Falwell ; Isreal's Offensive is Just War''
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Even the Chinese Coms told Philistines to stop rocket attacks;
they dont advertise it ,but many Christians are in Chinese gov.

Great thing about LORD of angel armies;
he doesnt need the biggest battalians to win.
He rules the weather also.Cool