Vatican

Palestinian liberation THE VATICAN was expected to make a historical joint declaration with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation this week, putting pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories, writes Bruce Johnston in Rome.
Italy's Ansa news agency, quoting "religious sources" in Jerusalem, and the PLO, said the agreement would claim that there could be "no lasting peace in the Middle East", unless Israel satisfied UN resolutions and withdrew from the terrritories which it had occupied since 1967.
The move would mark the first step by the Vatican to recognise a new Palestinian state.
Its wording was a mystery, however, and Ansa said that it was not known whether it would recognise the PLO's aspirations over the Arab part of Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want to make the capital of their future state.
Up till now the Vatican has maintained that Jerusalem's status would have to he defined by negotiations which took into account the importance of the city for the three great monotheistic religions.
The Vatican and Israel forged diplomatic ties in 1993, but, in keeping with the position of the international community, the Holy See has anchored these on the UN resolutions, while refusing to recognise Israel's sovereignty over Jeruslaem.
Ansa said that the joint "declaration of principles" would be signed in Vatican City in the presence of Yasser Arafat by Emil Jarjua, a PLO executive committee member, and Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, foreign minister of the Holy See.
The two sides would also take the opportunity to discuss the Holy Year pilgrimage which the Pope plans make to the Holy Land next month.
Gay week row rages in Rome
THE. ROW between Church and State over the decision to host a week-long World Pride gay gathering in Rome at the height of the Jubilee celebrations in July is continuing unabated, writes Bruce Johnston in Rome.
Replying to claims in Parliament by Italy's government that it had informed the Holy See on a number of occasions of the plans to hold the event. the Vatican's Secretary of State Angelo Sodano denied this, saying: "We were told absolutely nothing."
Italy's far-right National Alliance party, which is outspoken in its opposition of gays, is calling on the government to change the dates of the venue.
At the beginning of last week. Cardinal Sodano sent the
government a large dossier on the matter, in which it urged that authorisation for the gathering be withheld, OT that the event at least be put off until 2001, when Jubilee celebrations would be over. It was not a question of intolerance, the Vatican said, but rather an attempt at avoiding what it called a "provocation."
The Vatican delegation has meanwhile approached Italy's President Carlo Ciampi on the matter. The Vatican fears that the influx of an estimated one million gays into Rome will disrupt the Church's Holy Year celebrations. They also believe the event could spill over into protests against the Catholic Church's teaching on homosexuality.