Our projects in the field of
OBSTACLES & CONTROVERSY
Working to introduce a balanced and mindful dialogue to impact the obstacles that obstruct peace and positive relations amongst religions.
Improving Israeli Christian relations
PTWF is Responding to disproportionate educational funding in Israel
Pave the Way Foundation has partnered with the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation in order to respond to the recent disproportionate funding of Christian schools recently declared by the Israel ministry of Education. Mindful, that only in Israel are Christians fully protected and free tro practice their faith in the Middle East, this problem will only become more acute.
Improving tourism in Israel and the Holy Land.
Continuous violence and conflict has had an enormous adverse financial impact on the regional tourism industry. Both sides of the conflict suffer profound loss, not just in terms of life and human dignity, but in terms of economic and financial losses as well. During the intifada Israeli unemployment recently hit 11% and the rate in the territories has been as high as 30-60 %. Everyone is suffering. Pave the Way is trying to change the course of this negative effect, by encouraging special visits to the Holy Land, by Christian leaders. Some of these prelates have been charged with the pastoral care and diocesan responsibility of millions of the faithful Christians.
Investigating the papacy of Pope Pius XII
Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it. - Maimonides
With the opening of the Yad Vashem (Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem) exhibit in 2005, there was an historically incorrect placard erected in the "Hall of Shame", There was a international outcry to remove these troubling remarks. PTWF was asked to intercede to attempt to resolve this obstacles, which has plagued Jewish Catholic relations for the past 47 years.
On July 1, 2012, after six years of work to identify and post on line over 76000 pages of documents, news articles, official published works and including eye witness interviews, Yad Vashem revised their controversial placard to reflect a more accurate and balanced view. PTWF has applauded this move towards historical accuracy that Yad Vashem has taken.
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Letter of acknowledgment and gratitude from Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, for our initiative to digitize the Acts and Documents of the Holy See during the Second World War and the Acts of the Holy See 1909-1961. Card-Bertone-Thankyou.pdf
Mark Riebling's game changing new book Church of Spies- The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler- studies the details of the actual events of how Pope Pius XII acted directly and personally to help the removal of Adolf Hitler. Church of Spies is based on primary source documentation. Listen to Mark's radio interview at https://clyp.it/javfpfrq
Finalise Affirmation of His Beatitude Theophilos III Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Church has duly elected a new Patriarch of Jerusalem. This process was legally conducted and the newly elected Patriarch, His Beatitude Theophilos III, immediately enjoyed full endorsements by all of the other Christian Churches, by the Jordanian Government and by the Palestinian Authority. These are the required approvals. The Israeli government must also affirm the legal status of the Patriarch. The Israeli's process is taking additional time and consequently the new Patriarch cannot discharge his duties or take possession of the residence or business affairs of his Church.
Working to re-open the Halki Seminary in Turkey
In 1971, the Turkish government closed the Halki seminary (Heybeliada), the oldest and most important religious education institution in the Christian Orthodox Church, creating a grave crisis.
This followed earlier Turkish Government decrees affecting the Patriarchate including a requirement that the Patriarch must be a Turkish citizen and that the Turkish Government can veto the election of a new Patriarch. Previous Turkish Governments had objected to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople exercising his rights as the spiritual leader of more than 300 million Christian Orthodox faithful (the second largest Christian denomination in the world), tried to restrict him to the leadership for only the tiny Orthodox community in Turkey and confiscated Church properties in Turkey. This was a reversal of several centuries of much greater tolerance.
Lifting the Ban of Excommunication by the Vatican
Recently, The Vatican lifted the ban of excommunication to the Society of Pius X, an ultra right wing group and the four illicitly ordained Bishops. The Bishops, had been ordained by the breakaway Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Archbishop Lefebvre split with the Vatican for a number of reasons one of which was the action of the Second Vatican Councils' adapting and passing Nostra Aetate.
Read more: Lifting the Ban of Excommunication by the Vatican
Improving Vatican Israeli Relations
When diplomatic relations were begun with Israel on Dec 30, 1993, a few important issues were never settled and remain outstanding today. Improved relations, with the Holy See, will have enormous benefits to Israel both economically and politically. It will also assure that this relationship will continue into the next Papacy. With recurrent ongoing meetings with Father David Jaeger spokesperson for the Franciscan Custody and legal representative of the Holy See in Israel, and Archbishop Antonio Franco Apostolic Nuncio and Papal Delegate for the Holy See in Israel and the Holy Land, we were able to focus on current deficits in the relationship between Israel and the Vatican.
Working toward Palestinian - Israeli Peace
Throughout the history of the modern State of Israel, peace has eluded all of the people of the region PTWF is working with prominent Palestinians who wish to give the Palestinian people another choice. Contrary to media coverage of this region, the Palestinians and the Israelis desperately want peace. The media seems to only report on the exceptional few extremists. The truth is all of of the people from both sides have the same message. For three generations we have been at war and we don't want our children to have to continue this.
