Shorts: World

Sharon mends fences in France

paris (jta) | On a visit to Paris, Ariel Sharon vowed to improve France-Israel ties.

"I decided to come here despite the difficult situation in Israel," the Israeli prime minister told reporters this week before a lunch meeting with French President Jacques Chirac. "I am convinced that my visit will allow for relations between our nations to be bolstered and for there to be progress in the Middle East, which is so important for us."

Chirac echoed Sharon's sentiments, adding that he places a high priority on fighting anti-Semitism. Relations have been strained because of France's strongly pro-Arab positions and after Sharon last year urged French Jews to flee the "wildest anti-Semitism" in their homeland.




Did Pope intend to omit Israel in sermon?

rome (jta) | Israel was outraged by a sermon by Pope Benedict which did not list it among countries that have suffered from Islamic terrorism.

The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem summoned the Vatican ambassador to express outrage at a sermon in which the pontiff deplored suicide bombings in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq and Britain but did not mention a recent Palestinian attack that killed five Israelis in Netanya.

Israel later stated that it believed the omission was a mistake, rather than a purposeful exclusion.




Chabad founder's son mired in controversy

moscow (jta) | Recently discovered documents in Belarus appear to confirm rumors that the son of Chabad's founder converted to Catholicism.

According to a recent Ha'aretz report, Hebrew University Professor Shaul Stempfer discovered documents in the national historical archives in Minsk that chronicle the conversion of Moshe Zalmanovitch, the youngest son of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, about 180 years ago.

The files, which once belonged to the Catholic Church, contain a letter written by Zalmanovitch in 1820 in which he professes his Roman Catholic faith.

Chabad historian Yosef Kaminetzky responded to the Ha'aretz story by saying the Minsk documents are forgeries, and Catholic authorities in Minsk tried to convert Zalmanovitch against his will.