The Evolution Of Relations Between Vatican And Israel:from Confrontation To Reconciliation

The relationship between Vatican and Israel is unique in the world,no other relationship between nations can be compared to it.This unique relationship is determined by their unique national nature.The Vatican(Holy See)is not only a sovereign state,a political entity,but also the supreme authority of the Catholic Church,a religious entity,while the State of Israel,although a secular state like any other,has another unique characteristic,namely the profound influence of the religious nature of the Jewish people on the state.Therefore,the relationship between the two cannot be considered purely political,as is the case with the relationship between other states,but rather the influence of the religious factor must be considered.This is where the uniqueness of the relationship lies.The study of the relationship between the two can give us a deeper understanding of the relationship between politics and religion and is a complement to the study of the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism and can be used to predict the future of the relationship between the two.This paper compiles and analyzes the relationship between the Vatican and Israel from the First Zionist Congress to the present.The paper divides the history of the relationship into three phases:the first from the First Zionist Congress in 1897 to the end of the Second Vatican Council in 1965;the second from the Six-Day War in 1967 to the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Israel in 1993;and the third from the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two in 1993 to the present.The paper is divided into three chapters,each corresponding to the abovementioned historical stages.The first chapter of this article deals with the first phase of Vatican-Israeli relations.The relationship between the two in this phase can be described as mutually hostile.After the British issued the Balfour Declaration supporting the establishment of a national home for the Jews in Palestine,the Vatican opposed the Zionist cause.The political reason for the Vatican’s opposition was the fear that the Jews,through the cause of statehood,would have a privileged position in the Palestinian area and thus harm the interests of the Christians.The Vatican preferred Arab control of Palestine to that of the Jews.Thus,the Vatican’s policy is mcomplete contradiction to the demands of the Jews.However,political reasons alone do not fully explain the Vatican’s hostile attitude toward Jewish statehood,but rather the religious reasons behind it.In this period,Catholic Church was still believing in the "Teaching of Contempt",which considers the diaspora of Jews in the world is the punishment of God for them killing Jesus.Therefore,the foundation of Israel is fully unacceptable for catholic theology.In 1947,Israel’s compromise on the internationalization of Jerusalem prevented the Vatican from opposing the UN’s plan to partition Palestine and Israel,and the Jews established the State of Israel on May 14,1948.However,after the establishment of the State of Israel,the Vatican’s hostility toward Israel did not change.The Vatican first blocked Israel’s entry into the United Nations and failed,then it mobilizes Catholics worldwide to oppose Israel and launch a worldwide initiative to internationalize Jerusalem.Finally,on December 9,1949,the United Nations decided on the internationalization of Jerusalem in 1947.At this time,Jerusalem was occupied by Israel and Jordan respectively,and the Vatican did not object to Jordan’s occupation of East Jerusalem,but only to Israel’s occupation of West Jerusalem.Therefore,the Vatican’s policy cannot be explained only by political reasons either.The reason why Vatican adopts double standard lies on its long time "Teaching of Contempt".In 1965,the Vatican finally took the first step toward reconciliation with the Jews when the Second Vatican C ouncil issued the Nostra Aetate,which recognized the historical origins of Christianity as Judaism.It implicitly mentions that God’s covenant with the Jews is eternal and continuous and rejects the charge that the Jews are guilty of "deicide".The issuance of this landmark document opened the dialogue between Christianity and Judaism and laid the foundation for the progress of Vatican-Israeli relations.The second chapter of this paper deals with the relationship between the Vatican and Israel after the Six-Day War and the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.Religious rapprochement did not immediately lead to political rapprochement.The Vatican,however,softened its policy in the face of the Israeli occupation of all of Jerusalem after the Six-Day War,emphasizing only the "international status" of Jerusalem.However,the Israeli-Palestinian conflict became the key to the disagreement between the Vatican and Israel at this stage.The Pope first officially recognized the national rights of the Palestinians in his 1975 apostolic exhortation,and later repeatedly stated that the three monotheistic religions had equal rights in Palestine,which was seen by Israelis as a sign of favoritism toward the Arabs.The Vatican’s silent treatment of Palestinian attacks against Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has also struck Israel as highly offensive,as fully reflected in the Capuchin affair.Vatican-Israel relations took a substantial turn under Pope John Paul Ⅱ.John Paul Ⅱ was the first pope to visit a synagogue and the first to make an official visit to Israel.The pope also softened his attitude in the face of Jewish criticism of his meeting with Arafat It can be said that John Paul Ⅱ’s attitude toward Israel has prepared the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two.With the development of the Middle East peace process and the expansion of Israel’s diplomatic relations,the Vatican considered the time ripe for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel,and the two established full diplomatic relations in 1993.As to why it took 28 years for the Vatican to establish diplomatic relations with Israel,besides political reasons,this paper argues that "punitive supersessionism" and "moderate supersessionism" are factors that cannot be ignored.Chapter 3 of this paper examines the relationship between the Vatican and Israel during the period of Pope Benedict ⅩⅥ and Pope Francis after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two.The relationship between the two during this period can be summarized as "two steps forward,one step back".The progress made on the political and religious fronts,such as Pope Benedict ⅩⅥ’s visit to Israel,Pope Francis’ visit to Israell,and the positive Jewish response to the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Nostra Aetate,was always followed by a regression on political and religious issues,such as the Catholic Church’s attitude toward the Holocaust,the IsraeliPalestinian conflict,the legal status of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land,the actions of Pope Pius Ⅻ during the Holocaust,and the remnants of the doctrine of substitution.The conclusion of this article summarizes several important factors that will influence the future of Vatican-Israeli relations and makes predictions about the direction of Vatican-Israeli relations.