Yated Ne'eman has learned that massive Shabbos
desecration in Jerusalem and other places throughout the
country is expected to result from the Pope's upcoming
visit.
Pope John Paul the Third will arrive in two months for an
official visit to Israel. He will be accompanied by hundreds
of priests and Vatican personnel, as well as by reporters
from all over the world. He will spend the night in Jerusalem
throughout his visit.
The Pope will be accompanied on his travel within the country
by exceptionally large contingents of Israeli security men,
in addition to hundreds of official Vatican escorts as well
as by his Israeli hosts and the press.
He will be greeted at an official ceremony by representatives
of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and heads of the Government.
The visit is expected to result in large traffic jams,
closure of roads as well as work stoppages at the places he
will visit.
Massive Shabbos desecration is expected on Shabbos parshas
Tzav, the day on which the Pope will be in Jerusalem.
Hundreds of security people on duty in Jerusalem will have to
desecrate Shabbos in order to escort the Christian guests and
insure their security.
Unofficially, workers in the Foreign Affairs Ministry claim,
"In Israel we attach tremendous importance to the visit of
the head of the Christian church. The organizers are
fulfilling every single request of the Christian church in
order to insure the smooth running of this `historic'
visit."
An investigation conducted by Yated Ne'eman revealed
that in addition to the expected wide-scale Shabbos
desecration, tens of thousands of priests-in-training to
arrive from scores of countries worldwide will visit places
important for Christianity. Hostels and hotels in the North
have already begun to take reservations for thousands of
these "guests" and they are expected to be a significant
presence at the time.
However, alongside their financial gains, educational damage -
- both short and long term -- will apparently be caused on a
massive basis, because the majority of the "guests" may be
expected to engage in missionary activity, especially among
new immigrants.
