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Skriven 2004-11-16 08:01:40 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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              The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                        Vatican Information Service.
              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

HOLY SEE JOINS IN PAIN OF PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FOR ARAFAT DEATH

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 2004 (VIS) - Upon learning of the death early this
morning in a hospital near Paris of Yasser Arafat, 75, president of the
Palestinian National Authority, Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin
Navarro-Valls made the following statement to journalists:

"The Holy See joins in the pain of the Palestinian people for the death of
President Yasser Arafat. He was a leader of great charisma who loved his people
and sought to lead them towards national independence. May God welcome in His
mercy the soul of the illustrious deceased and give peace to the Holy Land,
with two independent and sovereign States, fully reconciled with each other."

Pope John Paul and Yasser Arafat have met 12 times during the Pope's 26-year
pontificate. Arafat was received 11 times in the Vatican: the first was on
September 15, 1982 and the last time was October 30, 2001. The Palestinian
leader and the Holy Father also met in Bethlehem during the pontiff's
pilgrimage to the Holy Land in March of 2000.

Yasser Arafat has met with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of State (1996),
with then Archbishop and now Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for
Relations with States (1994 in Tunisia and 1995 in Gaza during a trip to
Israel) and with Cardinal Pio Laghi when he visited the Holy Land in 2001.

On October 25, 1994, the Holy See announced that the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) and the Holy See will exchange representations to be "open
channels for continuing the development of mutual relations, understanding and
cooperation. ... It was decided to give to the already long-existing and
fruitful working contacts a permanent and official character. The Palestine
Liberation Organization will, therefore, open an office of representation at
the Holy See, with its own director. The apostolic nuncio in Tunisia will be
responsible for contacts with the leaders of the Palestine Liberation
Organization."

On February 15, 2000, John Paul II received Arafat and a delegation for the
signing of a Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestinian
Liberation Organization, as the representative of the Palestinian National
Authority. At that time the Palestinian leader invited the Pope to Bethlehem.
The agreement signed that day dealt with certain juridical questions regarding
the presence and activity of the Catholic Church in the territory dependent on
the Palestinian Authority.
OP/DEATH ARAFAT/NAVARRO-VALLSVIS 041111 (380)

SUMMARY

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