The Vatican has extended to the Government of Israel an invitation to attend the opening session and ceremonies of the Ecumenical Council on October 11, it was disclosed here today.
Morris Fisher, Israel’s Ambassador to Italy, will head the Israeli delegation to the opening session. The delegation will include three persons, one of them a representative of the Ministry for Religious Affairs.
Similar invitations have been extended by the Vatican to more than 70 countries with which the Vatican maintains diplomatic relations. The invitation to Israel was seen as a goodwill gesture since there are no formal diplomatic ties between Israel and the Vatican.
Since Pope John XXIII ascended to the papacy, Israeli envoys in Rome have been invited to attend Vatican functions. Former Ambassador Eliyahu Sasson was awarded the Vatican Order of Saint Silvester.
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