Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert completed his tour of the European Union on Thursday morning, after meeting with the German Chancellor, Italian Prime Minister and Pope Ratzinger. Olmert was upbeat about his discussions with his European partners, which included briefings on the Iranian nuclear crisis and talks on the Vatican's status in Jerusalem. I said earlier that the Pope may have brought up the status of Jerusalem in the talks, I was wrong this time. Perhaps the time for talking about the issue of Jerusalem is not quite yet upon us, but the Pope did discuss the status of the Catholic church in Jerusalem. 

Quote: "The two also discussed the financial agreement regarding the Catholic Church’s status in Israel, with the prime minister assuring the pope that he had instructed officials to conclude the lengthy discussions on the matter.

The Vatican has been in talks with Israel regarding the purchase of the Upper Room, the place where it is believed Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover with His disciples. The site, which overlooks the Temple Mount, is currently in the hands of Israel, but Rome wants control of the Upper Room so they can hold mass there...

Quote: "Rabbi Mordechai Goldstein, who founded and still runs the Diaspora Yeshiva [located near the Upper Room], officially known as Yeshiva Toras Yisrael, elaborated in a follow-up discussion with Arutz-7: "According to their bible, the land is to return to the Christians, and 144,000 Jews are to return to Mt. Zion. So their plan is for them to take control of the site, and then to announce that they are holding a mass re-enactment of the Last Supper, with [all types of religious rituals], and to invite millions of Christians to come to Jerusalem and celebrate." He said that this means much tourism money for Israel, and that someone in the Israeli government is apparently very interested in making this happen.

I don't know whether this is the reason why the Vatican wants control of the Upper Room or not, but it is very interesting nonetheless and I wouldn't put it past them. The Vatican did support Jerusalem becoming an international city, not under Jewish or Islamic control, but under the control of Rome. The reason being they could place a Pope in Jerusalem, and trace an "unbroken" line of Pope's from Peter (who never was a Pope) to Christ at His return. The person in the Israeli government who is interested in making this happen is Vice Premier Shimon Peres, who was apparently trained as a Jesuit, and promised that if he was in the government, he would give control of Jerusalem to the Vatican. Interesting times...

Source YNet News, Arutz 7