Israel and the Vatican have been in negotiations since 2004, following a 10-year hiatus, over a bilateral accord on the legal and financial status of the Roman Catholic Church in Israel.

In September, Israel's President Shimon Peres indicated after a private audience that the pontiff could make the journey in 2008, but chief Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said obstacles remain.

"The conditions for a papal visit, specifically the pacification of the situation in the region and the sending of positive signals by Israel in these bilateral negotiations, are not yet in place," said Lombardi.

"There are no concrete plans for a voyage to the Holy Land," he added during a press conference on the situation for Christians in Israel, AFP reported.

Antonio Maria Veglio, secretary of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, regretted the lack of progress in negotiations, adding: "Dealing with Israel is not easy."

Israel's ambassador to the Vatican, Oded Ben Hur, had said the two states were "very close" to an "historic" agreement on Dec. 3, with the next round of talks scheduled for Dec. 13 in Israel, AFP reported.

Centered on the economic element of a heads of agreement signed between the two states in 1993, the negotiations are principally concerned with the legal and tax status of church property and commercial activities of Christian communities in Israel.

In a related complaint, the Custos of the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has bemoaned the difficulties for priests and monks who come from Arab countries in obtaining visas to travel to Israel.

"A third of our people, a proportion which is falling fast, incidentally, come from Arab lands. However, getting an Arab priest into the Holy Land has become virtually impossible," he said.

He also described "the great suffering" of Israel's 170,000-strong Christian community, given political, economic, and social problems in the region.

The Custos is in charge of Catholic friars across the Middle East and coordinates the reception of pilgrims to the Holy Land.