Archbishop Hakim, Greek Catholic Archbishop of Acre, Haifa and Galilee, and one of the chief Christian spokesmen in Palestine, was quoted here last night as having asserted that the internationalization of Jerusalem was “an impossibility” and of having communicated that information to Pope Pius XII.
John Stanley Graul, former Protestant minister of Worcester, Mass., speaking before the joint national conventions of the B’nai B’rith Young Men and B’nai B’rith Young Women at the Hotel Roosevelt here, revealed the substance of a conversation he had held with the Archbishop in Haifa a few months ago.
“Archbishop Hakim is the highest religious authority in the Greek Catholic Church in Palestine,” Mr. Graul asserted. “The substance of his remarks to me were as follows: First, that the internationalization of Jerusalem was an impossibility; second, that he had communicated this opinion to His Holiness, Pope Pius; third, that in the carrying out of his duties of office, his relationships with the Israel authorities, especially with the Minister of Religion, were of the best.”
Mr. Graul, who recently returned here from the Middle East, added that he agreed with the Archbishop’s point of view. “It is impossible to impose an international regime on a community which does not and will not accept such a regime,” he declared. “I am convinced that neither the Jews nor the Arabs of Jerusalem will retreat one inch from this stand.”
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