Released atomic spy Mordechai Vanunu arrived Wednesday afternoon at St. George's Anglican Church in central Jerusalem after leaving the Shikma prison, where he held a press conference accusing prison authorities of mistreatment and Israel's security establishment for misleading the public.

He entered the church, refusing to speak to reporters who had managed to gather there ? in spite of the fact that his destination was kept secret until late Wednesday morning ? and is reportedly at prayer.

Vanunu was standing in the Church with a group of priests in front of the altar, holding the arm of an English priest. A huge cross was in view in the background as well as a group of lit candles.

"As chief pastor of the Anglican community in the Holy Land, I greeted Mordechai Vanunu this morning as he was released from Ashkelom prison," said Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Reverend Riah Abu al-Assa. "He is an Anglican Christian and expressed his desire to offer thanks to God for his release from prison as his first act as a free man."

The pastor noted that he celebrated mass with Vanunu in the presence of fellow Christians including bishops and clergy from England, the US and Australia, as well as local Christians.

Vanunu, who was born Jewish and converted to Christianity, claimed that he was badly treated by the State of Israel because he was not Jewish. "If I were Jewish this would never happen," he said.

El Assal refused to answer reporters questions, and it was not immediately clear whether the church was going to host Vanunu indefinitely, as some reports suggested, at a guest house in the complex, in place of the luxury apartment complex in Jaffa where an apartment has been rented on his behalf, reportedly by The Sunday Times of London that broke the story of Israel's nuclear facility nearly two decades ago.

As he entered the church at midday, several other clergy members embraced Vanunu, and a tearful Peter Hounam, the journalist who wrote the 1986 article in The Sunday Times of London that led to Vanunu's imprisonment, hugged him.

Other clergy voiced their displeasure with the public stance the bishop took on such a sensitive subject in publicly embracing the spy.

"The church should play a low key role because this is a sensitive and controversial matter," an Anglican Church Pastor said, speaking on condition of anonymity, voicing his displeasure and surprise with the overtly public support that his church bestowed on Vanunu.

Come and See" Editor notes that Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal cancelled the Patronage committee and the central committee of the Anglican church meetings in Amman for the case of meeting with Vanunu.