Pope Shenouda visits Jerusalem only at Arafat's invitation
Egypt-Israel, Politics, 2/8/2001

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Shenouda III said he continued to hold firm on his rejection to visit Jerusalem as long as it remains under Israel's control and will only go to the Holy City at the invitation of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

This position does not require any reconsideration, given the steady deterioration in the political and humanitarian conditions in the occupied lands, the Pope told a large audience Tuesday night at the 33rd annual Cairo International Book Fair.

He said he would only go to Jerusalem at Arafat's invitation, with a visa issued by the Palestinian National Authority and hand in hand with Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mohamed Sayed Tantawi.

A visit at this particular time means normalization, "we will not gain anything by it, only the Israelis will gain economic prosperity and what will follow, when millions of Christians begin to go on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem," he added.

'Jews have no rights to claim in Jerusalem, they did not rule it except for a short period before the birth of Christ and most of the time, the Persians, Romans and Arabs reigned,Äù the Pope said. It is untrue that they have historical rights in Jerusalem, he reaffirmed.

'In the Bible, there is no evidence or reference to their rights nor the presence of the so-called Mount Temple,Äù he said.

Jerusalem is one of the most controversial issues, it is the very core of the Arab-Israeli conflict and each party holds firm on its right to the Holy City, he added.

'Added to this is that consecutive Israeli governments get even more extreme and radical,Äù he said.

Pope Shenouda said he was happy to receive an invitation from the Iraqi government to visit Baghdad, and expressed solidarity with he Iraqi people who have suffered a great deal under an embargo and serious humanitarian conditions.

The Middle East Council of Churches has plans to convene an upcoming meeting in Baghdad, he added.

On the appearance in the past months of the Virgin Mary in a church in the Upper Egyptian city of Assuit, the Pope said the image appearing was not the Virgin herself, but supernatural lights.

'These glows and illuminations in the sky are to remind Christians of things that are above mind and matter and also remind us of God's great and divine powers,Äù he added.

On the controversial issue of the transfer of body organs, the Pope said that -since the natural result of death is the body's decomposition in the dirt, there is nothing wrong with transferring some organs of the deceased to save the lives of patients in need of them.

Previous Stories:
  Al-Quds is an Arab city, we refuse its internationalization   (11/18/2000)
  Pope Shenouda wins UNESCO prize for tolerance, non-violence   (10/18/2000)
  Pope Shenouda condemns Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque   (10/7/2000)

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