The “enormous contribution” of John Paul II, who “elevated Jewish-Catholic relations to a previously unknown level” was noted by the Israeli ambassador to the Holy See. On the hundredth anniversary of Pope’s birth, Oren David published an article in the Jerusalem Post.
The diplomat reminded that in 1986 John Paul II was the first pope, who officially visit synagogue (in Rome). He called Judaism followers “older brothers.” He repeatedly spoke out against anti-Semitism, which he condemned as “a sin against God and humanity.” He also asked the Jewish people for forgiveness for “all suffering inflicted by Christianity.”
As “more than symbolic”, the ambassador considers that diplomatic relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See were established during the pontificate of John Paul II in 1994 after the signing of the Basic Agreement on December 30, 1993. The “historic” was also the papal visit to the State of Israel on March 21, 2000, being the “reference point” for bilateral relations due to both its official character and “symbolic gestures” made by John Paul II at the Western Wall and Yad Vashem – which exerted a “huge impact on so many people in Israel and an increase in the significant awareness of the fundamental changes that the Church made to the Jewish people and Judaism after the conciliar document “Nostra Aetate” [declaration about the attitude of the Catholic Church to non-Christian religions from 1965 – KAI].
The ambassador notes that “despite the genuine results of the efforts made, anti-Semitism still remains a challenge that must be tackled together.” Therefore, “given the unfortunate role that the Church played in the past” in this area, it is necessary to introduce “Nostra aetate” and subsequent documents unmasking and condemning anti-Semitism in the consciousness of both the clergy and the faithful.
David is pleased that the Holy See intends to join the International Alliance to Commemorate the Holocaust, an intergovernmental organization founded in 1998 that brings together 42 countries. “Such a significant step will be consistent with the unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism by the late Pope John Paul II, as well as the current Pope Francis, who described this phenomenon as contrary to Christianity and its Jewish roots,” wrote the diplomat.
Niedziela.pl
