Vatican City, 26 May 2014 (VIS) –
Pope Francis today paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Rabbinate of
Israel at the Heichal Shlomo, where he met with the two Chief Rabbis,
Yona Metzger (Ashkenazi) and Shlomo Amar (Sephardi). Both also met
with Benedict XVI during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2009.
After a brief discussion with the two
Rabbis, Francis addressed those gathered at Heichal Shlomo, first
demonstrating his joy for the warm welcome he has received and then
commenting that, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he had counted many
Jewish brethren among his friends.
“Together we organised rewarding
occasions of encounter and dialogue; with them I also experienced
significant moments of sharing on a spiritual level. In the first
months of my pontificate, I was able to receive various organisations
and representatives from the Jewish community worldwide. As was the
case with my predecessors, there have been many requests for such
meetings. Together with the numerous initiatives taking place on
national and local levels, these testify to our mutual desire to know
one another better, to listen to each other and to build bonds of
true fraternity”.
He observed, “This journey of
friendship represents one of the fruits of the Second Vatican
Council, and particularly of the Declaration Nostra Aetate, which
proved so influential and whose fiftieth anniversary we will
celebrate next year. I am convinced that the progress which has been
made in recent decades in the relationship between Jews and Catholics
has been a genuine gift of God, one of those great works for which we
are called to bless his holy name: 'Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love endures forever; who alone has wrought marvellous works,
for his love endures forever'”.
“A gift of God, yes, but one which
would not have come about without the efforts of so many courageous
and generous people, Jews and Christians alike. Here I would like to
mention in particular the growing importance of the dialogue between
the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See’s Commission for
Religious Relations with the Jews. Inspired by the visit of Pope John
Paul II to the Holy Land, this dialogue was inaugurated in 2002 and
is already in its twelfth year. I would like to think that, in terms
of the Jewish tradition of the Bar Mitzvah, it is just coming of age.
I am confident that it will continue and have a bright future in
years to come”.
“We need to do more than simply
establish reciprocal and respectful relations on a human level”, he
remarked. “We are also called, as Christians and Jews, to reflect
deeply on the spiritual significance of the bond existing between us.
It is a bond whose origins are from on high, one which transcends our
own plans and projects, and one which remains intact despite all the
difficulties which, sadly, have marked our relationship in the past.
On the part of Catholics, there is a clear intention to reflect
deeply on the significance of the Jewish roots of our own faith. I
trust that, with your help, on the part of Jews too, there will be a
continued and even growing interest in knowledge of Christianity,
also in this holy land to which Christians trace their origins. This
is especially to be hoped for among young people”.
“Mutual understanding of our
spiritual heritage, appreciation for what we have in common and
respect in matters on which we disagree: all these can help to guide
us to a closer relationship, an intention which we put in God’s
hands. Together, we can make a great contribution to the cause of
peace; together, we can bear witness, in this rapidly changing world,
to the perennial importance of the divine plan of creation; together,
we can firmly oppose every form of anti-Semitism and all other forms
of discrimination”, he concluded. “May the Lord help us to walk
with confidence and strength in his ways. Shalom!”
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