'Phis Week

Goodbye, Old Friend

After papal visit, a sense offewish-Catholic healing remains.

AVI MACHLIS
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Jerusalem

F

or Jews around the world, even
skeptics of Catholic-Jewish rec-
onciliation, it was hard not to be
moved by two historic moments
during Pope John Paul II's pilgrimage to the
Holy Land.
The first was the sight of the 79-year-
old pope staring silently into the eternal
flame at the Yad Vashem memorial hall
during a ceremony last week honoring
victims of the Holocaust.
While many had hoped that he would
offer an apology for the church's silence in
the face of the Nazi slaughter, the sight of
the leader of the Roman Catholic Church
at the somber memorial ceremony moved
many to tears.
The second moment came Sunday,
when the pope stood again in silence, this
time in front of the Western Wall of the
Temple, Judaism's holiest site.
He quietly read a prayer of reconcilia-
tion, requesting forgiveness from the God
of Abraham for the church's sins against
Jews through the centuries, then slipped it
into a crevice of the Wall, as Jews have
done for centuries.
After instinctively blessing the note
with the sign of the cross, the ailing pope
returned to touch the stones again, his
Pope John Paul II places in a crack in the Western Wall a typed and signed note he read Sunday in Jerusalem's Old City.
hand trembling, his eyes closed in contem-
plation.
Given the centuries of Christian perse-
Related editorial: page 43
Karol Cardinal Wojtyla ascended to the papacy in
cution of Jews, many were struck by the image of
Related commentary: page 44
1978 and took the name John Paul II. Yediot
the leader of 1 billion Roman Catholics, dressed in
Achronot, Israel's most popular daily, devoted a
Text of speeches: page 45
flowing white robe and golden crucifix, asking for-
two-page centerfold to a photo of the pope at the
giveness from the God of Abraham at the site Jews
cials
responsible
for
the
trip
breathed
a
collective
Wall.
yearned for during 2,000 years of exile.
sigh of relief. The incredibly sensitive visit passed
Prime Minister Ehud Barak said the pope's visit
"It was something beyond history," said Rabbi
without
any
political
blunders.
"Operation
Old
to
the
Wall and Yad Vashem "will remain engraved
Michael Melchior, Israel's minister for Israeli society
Friend,"
perhaps
the
most
complicated
security
in
the
consciousness of the entire world as a most
and world Jewish communities, after escorting the
operation
ever
mounted
for
a
visitor
to
Israel,
had
important
step toward historic reconciliation
pope at the Wall. "Not only did the pope touch the
been implemented to near perfection.
between the Christian world and Judaism."
Western Wall, but the Wall reached out and touched
Many Israelis felt they had made a new friend
"I am sure that there will be more problems in
him and all of us.
in John Paul. Israel's leading Hebrew newspapers
our contacts with the Catholic Church, but this
took an overwhelmingly positive view of the papal
visit will make dealing with those differences and
Comfort Levels
journey as a tangible sign of the dramatic changes
disputes much more comfortable from a diplomat-
When John Paul left the region Sunday, Israeli offi-
in Jewish-Catholic relations in the years since
ic and international perspective," Barak said.

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