Local Editor

Pope Francis has threatened to cancel his first visit to the Zionist entity scheduled for May, due to the ongoing labor dispute within the "Israeli" Foreign Ministry, said Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, the papal ambassador to Tel Aviv.

On Tuesday, "Israeli" Foreign Ministry officials employed labor sanctions following the failure of the mediation process with the Finance Ministry regarding the terms of their employment.

The announcement of the sanctions was followed by a declaration from the "Israeli" Foreign Ministry's Protocol and Official Guests Bureau by which its officials will not be able to handle the required arrangements for the Pope's expected visit, scheduled for May 25-26.

They added that they would also not take care of preparations for the arrival of the forward delegation sent on behalf of the Vatican, expected to arrive in "Israel" next week.

Following the announcement, the papal ambassador told the Foreign Ministry's Chief of "Israel" Protocol Talya Lador-Fresher, that the visit is at risk of cancellation if the visit's preparations will not be handled accordingly.

The cancellation may constitute a heavy blow to the "Israeli" economy, as it would severely harm "Israel's" tourism industry, damage relations with the Christian churches and possibly cause hurt to "Israel's" international image, considering that it is unclear when the Pope will find the time to schedule another visit.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team