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Meeting with Jewish group, pope stresses
commitment to good relations.
RUTH GRUBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
r
Budapest
ollowing what they termed a
warm and friendly Vatican audi-
ence with Pope Benedict XVI,
Jewish leaders are expressing conviction
that Jewish-Catholic relations will broad-
en and deepen under his pontificate.
"After this meeting, we are confident
Pope Benedict
that under the leadership of Pope
Benedict XVI, the Catholic Church
will continue to build upon its grow-
He noted that this year marks the
ing relations with the Jewish commu-
40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, a
nity," World Jewish Congress
landmark declaration by the Second
President Edgar Bronfman said in a
Vatican Council that opened the door
statement after the audience June 9.
to formal Catholic-Jewish dialogue.
That declaration, he said, affirmed
The WJC's chairman, Rabbi Israel
Singer, added that the church and the
the church's conviction that "the begin-
Jewish community would cooperate
nings of her faith are already to be
found in Abraham, Moses and the
on joint humanitarian initiatives,
including "much-needed relief and
prophets." It also "called for greater
mutual understanding and esteem
education aid to Africa, a continent
suffering from the plague of AIDS."
between Christians and Jews and
The meeting between the pope and a
deplored all manifestations of hatred,
25-member delegation from the
persecution and anti-Semitism," he said.
International Jewish Committee on
"At the very beginning of my pontif-
icate," he said, "I wish to assure you
Interreligious Consultations, or IJCIC,
that the church remains firmly com-
was Pope Benedict's first official audi-
ence with international representatives of mitted, in her catechesis and in every
aspect of her life, to implementing this
another faith community. Rabbi David
decisive teaching."
Rosen, the American Jewish
Pope Benedict noted that the history
Committee's director of interreligious
of relations between Jews and
relations, called the encounter "remark-
Catholics has been "complex and often
ably warm and the most informal pri-
painful," but he stressed that "remem-
vate papal audience I have ever attend-
ed."
brance of the past remains for both
communities a moral imperative."
Participants included representatives
That imperative, he said, "must
from the Orthodox, Conservative and
Reform movements; leaders from Israel, include a continued reflection on the
profound historical, moral and theo-
North America, Europe and Latin
logical questions presented by the
America; the Anti-Defamation League,
experience of the Shoah."
the American Jewish Committee and
B'nai B'rith International.
The German-born Benedict, 78, was
elected to the papacy April 19 follow-
Pope Benedict, who had met many
members of the delegation when he was ing the death of Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, greeted them The Polish-born John Paul made fos-
tering Jewish-Catholic relations a pillar
as old friends and spoke with them
of his policy.
individually about a variety of specific
Both popes clearly felt that "the bur-
issues. Rabbi Singer said that he and
den of history rests on their shoulders,"
Bronfman also had a private meeting
said Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor,
with the pope in which they briefed
director of interfaith affairs for the Anti-
him on this week's Organization for
Defamation League. It was significant,
Security and Cooperation in Europe
summit on anti-Semitism and discussed he said, that at a time when a lot of peo-
ple "wish the Jewish community would
humanitarian projects.
shut up about the past, here is a pope
In his formal address to the group,
who says that it is a sacred obligation to
Pope Benedict reaffirmed his commit-
remember the past and learn from it." III
ment to make Jewish-Catholic rela-
tions a prominent part of his agenda.
"One day I hope to do Nobel worthy work that will benefit Israel's
economy and help people around the world. For now, I'm very
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my husband and me to live in a beautiful dormitory on campus."
— Helena Lankin, Ph. D. student in chemistry
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