Episcopal Press and News

Pope Says Jerusalem Should be Declared an International City

Episcopal News Service. January 17, 1996 [96-1353C]

(ENS) Pope John Paul II has warned that the search for peace in the Middle East could founder unless the status of Jerusalem is resolved in a way that "preserves its uniqueness." In a speech to the diplomatic corps at the Vatican, the pope also condemned religious discrimination in some Muslim countries, as well as China and Vietnam, and he hailed the prospect of peace in Bosnia and Northern Ireland. The pope rejoiced that a Palestinian representative was present at the Vatican, following links made with the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1994. The pope urged that Jerusalem be declared an international city giving access to holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims. He called Sarajevo the "Jerusalem of Europe" and said that the Bosnian capital should become known as a city of peace where ethnic harmony is fostered.