THE LAST SUPPER ROOM

THE LAST SUPPER ROOM IN A WHITE STONE BUILDING ON MOUNT ZION

JERUSALEM
IT IS held to be the site of a seminal moment in history, the Last Supper. Today, however, the arched room in a white stone building on Mount Zion symbolises a festering dispute between Israel and the Vatican, which threatens to become a thorn in the side of Pope Benedict XVI's impending "peace pilgrimage" to the Holy Land.
Vatican officials had hoped the Pontiff's visit next week – only the second trip made by a pope to the Jewish state – would soften Israel's position over the Last Supper room.

The Vatican insists the room belongs to the Church and must be "returned", because Franciscans controlled it from 1342-1551, when the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent expelled them.

"We have a strong connection to the place, it was ours," said the Vatican's Custodian for the Holy Land, Father Pierre Batista- Pizzaballa. "The Eucharist, the unity of the Church, the Pentecost and the priesthood, all these important things for the Latin Church, come from here."

However, Israel is refusing to transfer ownership despite Vatican claims the Cenacle, as it is known, where the Pope is scheduled to pray on Tuesday, is the second holiest place for Christianity after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also in Jerusalem and traditionally held to be the site of Jesus's burial.

The Kirk's spiritual leader in the Holy Land, reverend George Shand of Jerusalem's St Andrews Church, says that the Last Supper room's vicinity "has Jewish, Muslim and Christian ties. It represents the history of this area in so many different ways. It shouldn't belong to anyone. It should belong to all."

The Palestinian Authority would not object to the site being returned to the Vatican, and says it hopes this would serve as a precedent for the restoration of Palestinian sites lost to Israel.

Some believe the reason for Israel's reluctance to relinquish control of the room is that it wants a campaign to get more Catholic visitors to Israel. Stas Misezhnikov, the tourism minister, said it would be a mistake to hand over the Last Supper site to the Vatican without a significant reward. "If we were certain that this great gift to the Christian world would bring us millions of Christian tourists we might think about it," he said on Monday. He added that the Pope is "a very desired guest" but that "we won't transfer it just because the Pope is coming. We won't do anything in a hurried fashion."

ROOM FOR MANY FAITHS

PEOPLE of different faiths, including Greek Orthodox Christians and Muslims, have laid claim to the Last Supper Room as part of their belief system.

There is a Muslim prayer niche and an Arabic inscription on one window, reflecting its four centuries of use as a mosque – Muslim services stopped in 1948 when its worshippers became refugees at Israel's creation. Jews claim what they say is the tomb of King David in another part of the building.

When the Vatican and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1993, a joint commission was set up to look at such issues, but the two sides have been unable to produce an agreement. The room's fate is due to be discussed again in December.