Pope Francis came and he went. (“Wall To Wall Symbolism,” May 30) As for the warm relations between Jerusalem and the Vatican, his finding it necessary to pray at the security wall with its inferred condemnation of Israel and the reference to a nonexistent state of Palestine, is hardly in concert with fondness.
Even more remarkable was his visit to Bethlehem. Instead of voicing horror at the “disappearance” of a Christian population from 80 percent to 20 percent, he found it more wholesome to remark on Israel’s reluctance to embrace the failed peace process. Too bad he could not emulate the remarkable speech by Milos Zeman, president of the Czech Republic, who said: “It is necessary to name the enemy of human civilization, and this enemy is international terrorism associated with religious fundamentalism and religious intolerance. … Let’s throw out political correctness and call a spade, a spade.”
Ashkelon, Israel
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