I do not see these canonizations as totally a product of pro-Palestinian politics by the Vatican - but that the current political climate likely did not hurt the process.
Mariam Bawardy had been "beatified" by the Catholic Church as an initial step in the canonization process in the early 1980s and was the first Palestinian at that time to receive such an official status from the church.
The Jerusalem area has a long history of a Christian presence, primarily via the Orthodox Church, but a smaller Catholic flock exists and Quakers, Lutherans and even Seventh-Day Adventists have Arab adherents there. The Armenian Apostolic Church has members in Jerusalem as many Armenians came as refugees during the Armenian genocide in Turkey of 100 years ago.
I can surmise that the Obama administration may try to announce an agreement with Iran before St. Patrick's Day - when Israelis go to the polls to choose a new Knesset and, ultimately, a prime minister.
Such a pact between the U.S. and Iran would make PM Netanyahu look ineffective and amount to a policy failure of his Likud bloc that have vehemently strived to oppose such a deal.
I do not see these canonizations as totally a product of pro-Palestinian politics by the Vatican - but that the current political climate likely did not hurt the process.
Mariam Bawardy had been "beatified" by the Catholic Church as an initial step in the canonization process in the early 1980s and was the first Palestinian at that time to receive such an official status from the church.
The Jerusalem area has a long history of a Christian presence, primarily via the Orthodox Church, but a smaller Catholic flock exists and Quakers, Lutherans and even Seventh-Day Adventists have Arab adherents there. The Armenian Apostolic Church has members in Jerusalem as many Armenians came as refugees during the Armenian genocide in Turkey of 100 years ago.
I can surmise that the Obama administration may try to announce an agreement with Iran before St. Patrick's Day - when Israelis go to the polls to choose a new Knesset and, ultimately, a prime minister.
Such a pact between the U.S. and Iran would make PM Netanyahu look ineffective and amount to a policy failure of his Likud bloc that have vehemently strived to oppose such a deal.