Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Friday, May 2, 2008 Irish church leaders barred from Jerusalem site Associated Press JERUSALEM -- Leaders of Ireland's main Christian churches were barred from praying at Jerusalem's Western Wall on Thursday because they refused to remove the crosses they were wearing. Roman Catholic Cardinal Sean Brady, Church of Ireland Archbishop Alan Harper and Presbyterian and Methodist Moderators John Finlay and Roy Cooper arrived at the wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, without giving prior notice to Israeli authorities, Brady told the Irish broadcast network RTE. "We encountered some difficulty in gaining access. There was a difficulty about us wearing our crosses," he said. "We were under constraints of time ... and we decided to move on." Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, said that while the site is open to all faiths, worshippers are expected not to offend the sensitivities of Jews by displaying symbols of other religions. "They were asked to remove the crosses, but they refused," he said. "I think it is important that they visit the Western Wall, but they should have covered up the crosses to respect the place, just like Jews wouldn't wear their ritual prayer shawls when entering a Christian holy place." The Western Wall, in Jerusalem's walled Old City, is a remnant of the Second Temple compound built by King Herod in the 6th century B.C. and destroyed by Roman conquerors in A.D. 70. Israelis on Thursday were observing an annual day of remembrance and mourning for the 6 million Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust of World War II.

1. Boeing tip ill considered, poorly timed 2. Sound Transit jeered by county leaders 3. Clock ticking for Boeing contract 4. Barbecue ashes blamed for Lynnwood fire 5. Questions abound after Mariners' lose in 15 innings 6. Mill Creek planning for a second 'urban village' 7. Conserve and you can save, PUD says 8. Everett hospital revises Colby expansion 9. Monroe priest on leave over allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor 10. Animal shelter accused of discrimination 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• PCC illegally chops three trees in Edmonds • Local lottery winner takes biggest ever prize • Man shot to death south of Everett • Terrace seeks to sharpen dog ordinance's teeth • Terrace council OKs controversial housing development • An era ends: the curtain falls on the Sonics • Red, White, and Blue: Parade photoalbum • World famous, and headed to Everett • The man in charge • Arlington Fly-In marks 40th anniversary this year • County home market offers low rates, lower prices, wide variety of prope ... • Good investments may be boring but profitable • People Watching - July 2008 • Melody Biringer a wide-ranging entrepreneur • Fryelands industrial park growing in Monroe • Out of the Blue Aviation expands flight training • Paul Allen’s rare Flying Heritage Collection becomes latest aviation att ...