Seems like only yesterday the Vatican was making nice with Israel. Newspapers and Web sites gushed with John Paul II's flowery efforts to rid the church of anti-Semitism and to reach some sort of theological rapprochement with Israel. This is the RCC's velvet glove approach. Seems folks in Israel were not as gullible as the RCC expected them to be, for Jews did not wax rhapsodic over Rome's poor attempt to seduce world Judaism. Never one to accept rejection gracefully, Rome has removed the velvet glove to reveal her well-known iron fist. In an Associated Press article submitted from Tel Aviv by Sari Bashi, I read that Father David Yager shocked a conference on anti-Semitism by saying that Israel's anti-Catholic attitude - not the Catholic Church's anti-Israel attitude - was preventing relations from warming as Israel prepares to greet millions of Catholic pilgrims in the millenium.--Sara Bashi (AP), Vatican official miffed at Israel, (C) Al-Bashra, July 19, 1999 According to the report, Yager, who represented the Holy See on a bilateral committee to improve relations with Israel, "The Catholic Church and the Jewish people are now allies, friends and lovers." "Friends and lovers?" It is bad enough that Rome is insulting Bible-believing Christians by continually referring to us as "separated brethren," now she is exploring new depths of mendacity and offense by claiming a non-existent closeness with Jews. Yager declared that Israel wants to keep the Vatican on the defensive, particularly by recalling the silence of Pius XII concerning Nazi atrocities during World War II. According to the brown-robed priest, this is a "blood libel." The Holy See's representative was referring to Israeli criticism of the Vatican's proposal to beatify Pius XII. Rome claims that Pius XII worked in behalf of Jews behind the scenes. This was necessary, say RCC spin doctors, because public action would have endangered Catholic lives. Catholic apologists are expert at creating revisionist history. When their efforts to declare fantasy as historical fact fail, they often create a strawman to divert the opposition's stand on truth. In this case, Yager raised the issue of Israeli outrage over the Pious XII beatification issue. It didn't work, for Jewish participants at the conference declared that Yager was glossing over 2000 years of Catholic anti-semitism. Bushi quoted an angry Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, as saying, "Our questions, our desires to search the truth are not blood libels." History - that is, history not written by the RCC - abounds with accounts of Catholic efforts to plunder, pillage and destroy Jews everywhere her tentacles reached. Jews in Israel and around the world have not been deceived by Roman efforts to whitewash Catholic atrocities, nor should anyone else be. The Vatican seeks to seduce the world and bring everyone in it into her deadly embrace. Do not be deceived. The narrow path to Heaven does not lead through St. Peter's. Salvation is through grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone. No where in that simple formula is there any mention of a Catholic pope. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. -- Ephesians 2:4-10