Upper
Room on Mt. Zion To Open for Catholic Worship
(PRWEB) June 18, 2013
The Cenacle, the
building on Mt. Zion which houses the “Upper Room” where
Jesus and his disciples held the Last Supper will once
again be open for Catholic worship, it has been announced
by spokesmen for the Vatican, the Israeli government and
the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
The agreement,
which is part of overall negotiations over the use of land
owned by the church in Israel allows for Franciscan
administrative control of the site, while ownership will
remain with Israel, according to Fr. Peter Vasko,
president of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land
(FFHL).
In addition to
the Cenacle, other key elements of the negotiations
include two churches the Vatican wants to build, and tax
exempt status for Catholic Churches. The recent agreement
approves tax-exempt status for the churches but specifies
that attached buildings such as gift shops and restaurants
will be subject to Israeli sales tax.
Negotiations will
continue in December, according to the joint announcement.
Israel
gives Vatican control above Tomb of King David on Mount Zion
Deputy
Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin Squashes Vatican Rumors on
Cenacle Control… Almost