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World Jewish News
Ukraine-Israel: Pope and Cardinals Advocate for the Abolition of Visas
07.04.2009
Vatican may become one of the lobbyists of introducing a visa-free regime and increasing the number of flights between Ukraine and Israel. Cardinals from Lvov plan to come to Israel with the Pope. They will discuss conditions of development of Catholic pilgrimage from Ukraine with the Israelis.
The politicians who lobby an immediate abolition of visa regime between Ukraine and Israel may get an unexpected and powerful ally. The hierarchs of the Catholic Church show great interest in the removal of obstacles to increasing the pilgrimage from the Ukraine to the Holy Land. These suggestions are fully supported by the Ministry of Tourism of Israel.
In mid-May this year, the Pope will come on a visit to Israel. The Heads of the Ukrainian Catholics are planning to join the Pontiff. As the IzRus portal found out from the sources in Kiev, the negotiations about the visit to Israel of one of Ukrainian cardinals are currently in progress, with the participation of the Ukrainian Ministry of Tourism. Also a project of an extensive introductory tour for Catholic pilgrims from the western regions of Ukraine is being developed.
A source of IzRus portal, who works in the sphere of Ukrainian-Israeli tourism, mentioned that "the Pope's visit is an event which may influence the further increase in the number of Christian tourists and pilgrims to Israel." The Catholic hierarchs are expected to meet with Israeli leaders, as well as officials from the Mayor's office of Jerusalem.
Preservation of the visa regime remains a significant obstacle to the development of tourism between the two countries. This has been repeatedly mentioned by the guests of Israeli pavilion at the International Exhibition of Tourism UITT-2009 in late March in Kiev. The tourism attache in the CIS countries Neta Peleg-Briskin was present at the exhibition. Also, the exhibition was attended by Olga Dolburt - Deputy Chief of the Mission of Israeli Embassy in Ukraine.
As part of this exhibition, the tourist agency "New Europe" (Lvov) discussed with the Israelis the issues of increasing pilgrimage tourism in connection with the Pope's visit to Israel. The same firm, closely related to the Catholic community and specializing in the Israeli tours, is thoroughly working on the preparation of the Cardinal's visit to Israel.
"New Europe" is actively promoting the opening of direct flights Lvov-Tel Aviv. Lvov tour operators hope that with the arrival of the "Arkia" airline and the introduction of direct flights from Lvov, the flow of pilgrims from the western regions to Israel will increase. According to the IzRus portal, "Arkia" currently faces a variety of bureaucratic barriers of Ukrainian officials in the aviation sphere, who are "buying time" and do not give permission for "Arkia" flights to Kiev and Lvov. These problems are being dealt with by Dmitry Rosinsky - Head of Eastern European department of the "Arkia" company, ex-adviser to former Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz. But breaking this wall of bureaucracy requires a powerful lobbyist - and the Catholic Church, interested in the pilgrimage, may become one.
Two churches in Ukraine are subject to Vatican, and both have a significant potential in tourism. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is comprised of 3570 religious communities, 106 monasteries, 15 religious schools, 93,5% of UGCC believers reside in Western Ukraine. Head of the UGCC is the Cardinal (Supreme Archbishop) Lyubomyr Guzar. Roman Catholic Church numbers 907 communities, 91 monasteries, 8 religious schools and 523 Sunday schools. The Head of the church in Ukraine is Cardinal Marian Jaworski, a friend of the previous Pope John Paul II, participant of the current Pontiff election. Catholic leaders may become additional lobbyists in the process of negotiations on the abolition of visas between Ukraine and Israel.
As reported by the IzRus portal, official Kiev is waiting for a positive response from the Israelis to the proposal to abolish visas: "We need a final confirmation of the Israeli side of the principle willingness to resolve visa issues."
On the sidelines of the above-mentioned Kiev exhibition UITT-2009, many experts and tour operators were talking about the big hopes placed on the appointment of Stas Misezhnikov as the Minister of Tourism. One of the exhibitors told the IzRus portal: "As Stas is the member of "Israel Beiteinu" political party, we certainly think that a great emphasis will be put on tourism from the former USSR. In fact, there is a great potential between Ukraine and Israel (pilgrimage, trips to relatives, business, medical treatment, recreation, traveling of Chasidim to Uman).
Speaking of the interest of the Catholic establishment in the abolition of visas, it is interesting to note a similar desire on the part of Orthodox Judaism. As previously reported by the IzRus portal, the issue of visa abolition with Ukraine in its time was lobbied by the representatives of ultra-religious parties. For example, in August last year, Rabbi Meir Porush ("Yaadut Ha-Torah") asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni to immediately begin active work in this direction, to facilitate the Chasidic pilgrims in visiting Uman.
Shimon Briman
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