Pope to American Jewish Committee: ‘We reject together all forms of hatred’
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“Rooted in our shared spiritual heritage, this friendship also calls us to defend human dignity, serve the poor, protect religious freedom and promote justice and peace.”
Pope Leo XIV expressed this to members of the American Jewish Committee at the Vatican on Thursday.
The Holy Father began by saying it was a pleasure to welcome them to the Vatican on this day when the Church remembers in a special way his beloved predecessor, Pope St. John Paul II, whose efforts contributed so greatly to fostering friendship between Jews and Catholics.
Addressing the Board of Governors of the Committee in 1995, he observed that “dialogue between Christians and Jews must find eloquent expression in the life of both our communities.”
These words, Pope Leo suggested, remain relevant today, as reflected in the organization’s longstanding commitment to dialogue and cooperation with the Catholic Church.
Total rejection of religious and ethnic hatred and discrimination
The Pope expressed gratitude to all who continue to build relationships, grounded in sincerity and mutual respect, between their respective communities and who work together to promote human dignity and protect religious freedom.
Rooted in our shared spiritual heritage, the Pope observed, this friendship also calls Christians and Jews to defend human dignity, serve the poor, protect religious freedom and promote justice and peace.
“Essential to this commitment,” Pope Leo said, “is the rejection of all forms of religious and ethnic hatred and discrimination.”
On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the Conciliar Declaration Nostra aetate, the Pope recalled how he affirmed that “the Church does not tolerate anti-Semitism and fights against it, on the basis of the Gospel itself.”
Commitment to fraternity especially urgent
“Differences of opinion, however profound,” he continued, “must never give rise to prejudice and hostility, which undermine the moral foundations of society.”
The Pope stressed that in a world wounded by violence and mistrust, this commitment to fraternity is “especially urgent.”
Indeed, Pope Leo XIV concluded, “the witness of our fraternity, which I hope we will be able to show with effective gestures, will certainly contribute to building a more peaceful world, something that all men and women of good will desire in their hearts.”
No comments:
Post a Comment