(JNS.org) The Vatican denied reports that Pope Francis was forced to cancel his planned trip to Israel in May due to a labor dispute within the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

“The strike may create difficulties but for now there is nothing further as far as we are concerned,” said Father Frederico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, the  Jerusalem Post reported. A source at the Israeli Foreign Ministry had told the Times of Israel that the Vatican had to cancel the trip because most of the ministry’s workers are on strike and cannot make the necessary arrangements for the trip. The ministry’s Workers Union is pushing for higher wages and better working conditions for diplomats serving abroad.