Iranian government officials threatened the Holy See not to join in the wave of international criticism against Iranian President Ahmadinejad for calling for Israel to be wiped off the map.
During discussions between the sides, Tehran threatened Vatican policy-makers that such action would endanger freedom of worship for Catholics in Iran if the pope’s diplomatic service identified with Israel.
See, what happened was the Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls on Friday condemned “certain statements, particularly serious and unacceptable, in which the right to the existence of the State of Israel was denied.”
