The Vatican and Israel are close to a deal on several outstanding issues, The Tower has learned. The announcement of an agreement paving the way to even closer ties could come later this year, possibly as early as June. Among the outstanding discussion points is the status of what Catholics see as the room of the Last Supper and Jews as the tomb of King David.

News of this progress comes on the eve of the May 25 visit to the Holy Land by Pope Francis.

The Holy See and Jerusalem are both confident the visit will pass without incident and politics will be put aside to allow the pope to focus on his religious duties as he visits the region’s Christians.

Israeli hotels are bracing themselves for the influx of pilgrims whose visits will coincide with the arrival the pope, according to the country’s Tourism Ministry.

As a result of the visit to the Holy Land by Pope Francis, who is such a popular figure and significant leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, the ministry estimates an increase of tens of thousands in the numbers of Christians visiting Israel,” the ministry said.

“Christian tourism, which accounts for about 60 percent of all incoming tourism, is expected to increase by about 10 percent in 2014,” it said.

Such is the nature of the Holy Father that he decided not to travel around Jerusalem in a bullet-proof vehicle. Vatican and Israeli security officials agreed to the pope’s request and came to agreement as to how to cater to the pope’s desire to be a man of the people, former Israeli ambassador to the Vatican Oded Ben-Hur told a news conference organized by The Israel Project earlier this week.

[Photo: Agência Brasil / Wiki Commons]