Foreign Ministry officials agree there is needless red tape in the Interior Ministry's handling of visa requests submitted by representatives of the Church. They said an intra-ministerial committee appointed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is looking into a solution to the problem.

Jaeger, spoking with Haaretz from Rome, said that for the first time since Israel was established, priests have been unable to renew their visas to stay in the country. The problem began two years ago, when Eli Yishai of Shas was Interior Minister, he said. Jaeger says Israeli officials told him at the time that the problem came from Shas' world view, and its fears that the Jewish character of the state was weakening.

However, Jaeger said, for the past year the Interior Ministry has been headed by the Shinui party and still the visa situation for the Catholic delegates has not improved. Minister Avraham Poraz had met with Church officials and promised to solve the problem, but every day visas of church delegates expire, Jaeger said.

In recent months several monks and nuns have been held by Israeli immigration police for lacking legal authority to be in Israel.

Gadi Golan, the head of the Foreign Ministry's religions department, said police detained a Franciscan monk traveling on a bus to classes at Bar Ilan University. He was released after the Church's intervention. Jaeger said two nuns were also temporarily arrested. He expects such unpleasant incidents to become more frequent.

"It is insufferable," he said. "It's getting worse all the time and has international implications since the Church in the Holy Land represents Catholics all over the world. Some of the Catholic officials have lived in Israel for many years. Jaeger said many who would like to visit family members overseas are afraid to leave Israel for fear of not being allowed to return.

"In the Catholic world there is a growing view that Israel has deliberately framed a policy to hurt the Church," Jaeger said. "Nobody believes some clerk in the population registry is able to reach these decisions on his own."

Golan said Prime Minister Sharon has responded to the increasing number of complaints about visa extension request rejections. He asked officials from the National Security Council to head the intra-ministerial committee which is to formulate clear rules for the visa extensions.

"Come and See" Editor adds that the visa problem extends to all Christians in Israel. A Baptist Pastor was arrested on Saturday and is expected to be deported in the next few days.



To protest this delay in issuing visas to Christian clergy, send an email to Interior Minister Avraham Poraz at aporaz@knesset.gov.il

You can also send a fax at ++972-2-566-6376