Pope John Paul II's visit to Jerusalem
March 2000
Posted on 03/02/2005 10:31:19 AM PST by NYer
Prominent Jewish and Catholic leaders meeting in New York yesterday said the spirit of respect and cooperation between the two religions forged by Pope John Paul II is now so strong that it would continue beyond his papacy.
"I am optimistic that what this pope has done for the last 26 years cannot be reversed," said Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Vatican council responsible for Jewish-Catholic relations. He added that "everyone can only be happy about the progress that has been made, which is so important for peace in the world."
The World Jewish Congress is hosting the two-day forum for 27 Catholic cardinals and bishops to meet with international Jewish leaders from around the world. While this is the third gathering, it is the first time that the Catholic leaders were meeting with Orthodox Jewish leaders, showing the progress of the interfaith cooperation, said Rabbi Israel Singer, chairman of the World Jewish Congress.
"Some of what we are doing today is allaying concerns about the future. This is an opportunity to make sure we don't have any backsliding," said Singer, of Lawrence. He said the gathering would pray for the ailing pope, who Singer said had done more for Catholic-Jewish relations "in 20 years than anyone had in 2000 years."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Message left by John Paul II at Wailing Wall.
"We are deeply saddened by the behaviour of those who, in the course of history, have caused these children of yours to suffer and, asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant," the prayer said.
Catholic Ping - Come home for Easter and experience God’s merciful love. Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
This modern raprochement between Catholics and Jews probably began with Jacques Maritain's important work, beginning in 1939, when it really counted.
I can't seem to find an article of Martitain's that I once read, based on St. Paul's comment (frequently repeated in the Hebrew Bible) that God's covenant with the Jews is "forever."
But I did turn up a brief review in First Things of a book edited by Robert Royal containing 17 of Maritain's essays on this subject, "Jacques Maritain and the Jews":
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft9510/reviews/briefly.html#Royal
What many in the media don't understand is that this kind of thing must be based on THEOLOGY, and that was the base that Maritain provided, and on which Pope JP II, Cardinal Ratzinger, and others have built.
"We are deeply saddened by the behaviour of this man who, in the course of his Papacy, has caused this Mystical Body of Yours to suffer and, asking Your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine restoration of Your Ark of Salvation," my prayer says.
I am just wondering but what are your opinions regarding the Jewish people, the Bible and the end times. I find Revelations interesting but as with the rest of the Bible it can be hard to really understand the message clearly sometimes. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Glad to see Il Papa left a message in a crevice of the Western Wall. This is the custom. Everyone does it. I helped an Irish fellow do it who wasn't sure what was going on
If you want to deepen your understanding of God's covenant with the Jews, I strongly recommend Roy Schoeman's book:
If there is one theological issue which both Jews and Christians should be able to agree on, it is that "salvation is from the Jews". It has been a constant teaching of Judaism from the days of Abraham onwards that the salvation of all mankind is to come from the Jews. That is the primary sense in which the Jews are "the Chosen People". And Christians, or at least Christians who believe in the accuracy of the New Testament, have no choice but to believe that "salvation is from the Jews", since those are the very words which Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:22). This book is an attempt to examine the meaning of those words, from a Jewish perspective within the Catholic faith.
The author, Roy Schoeman, was born in a suburb of New York City of "Conservative" Jewish parents who had fled Nazi Germany. His Jewish education and formation was received under some of the most prominent Rabbis in contemporary American Jewry, including Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, probably the foremost Conservative Rabbi in the U.S. and his hometown Rabbi growing up; Rabbi Arthur Green, later the head of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College who was his religion teacher and mentor during high school and early college; and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, a prominent Hasidic Rabbi with whom he lived in Israel for several months. His secular education included a B.Sc. from M.I.T. and an M.B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard Business School. Midway through a career of teaching and consulting (he had been appointed to the faculty of the Harvard Business School) he experienced an unexpected and instantaneous conversion to Christianity which led to a dramatic refocus of his activities. Since then he has pursued theological studies at several seminaries, helped produce and host a Catholic Television talk show, and edited and written for several Catholic books and reviews. This is his first full-length book.
The book is available from his web site: SALVATION IS FROM THE JEWS or through Amazon.com.
Bump to post #9.
thank you
This is a very well written book. Definitely worth purchasing.
According to St. Malachy, the next Pope will be "The Glory of the Olives."
Will this mean:
(A) a Jewish convert as Pope, like Cdl. Lustiger, who for a long time had been considered a leading candidate for the next Pope but is now probably too aged.
(B) a Pope who builds a lasting peace in the middle east
(C) a Pope who stirs a mass conversion of the Jewish people to the Catholic faith
(D) All of the above.
(E) Cardinal Martini.
Disclaimer: I'm having fun, not seriously speculating. I do not even mean to endorse the alleged prophecies of St. Malachy.
According to St. Malachy, the next Pope will be "The Glory of the Olives."
Will this mean:
(A) a Jewish convert as Pope, like Cdl. Lustiger, who for a long time had been considered a leading candidate for the next Pope but is now probably too aged.
(B) a Pope who builds a lasting peace in the middle east
(C) a Pope who stirs a mass conversion of the Jewish people to the Catholic faith
(D) A Benedictine (Olivetan)
(E) All of the above, such as the Bishop of Gerusalemme.
(F) Cardinal Martini.
Disclaimer: I'm having fun, not seriously speculating. I do not even mean to endorse the alleged prophecies of St. Malachy.
Go somewhere else to bash the Pope
What a strange point of view to see praying for someone as bashing.
I'm glad for this, but I don't count on it. The first time a Catholic says something that the ADL doesn;t like, fireworks will happen! The ADL WANTS to see anti-Semitism especially when it isn't there!!
Dear ----*, please forgive this assinine fool, Luddite Patent Counsel, who wishes to wreak havoc on your holy Church by asaulting the character of your vicar on Earth for the sole purpose of feeling self-righteous.
(* I put dashes because I mean this only as an example and not as a prayer; I would not use the name of God in vain in this way.)
See how it feels? Now if I had sincerely written that, would you feel better because I've prayed for you, or would you feel like I wrote that to bash you?
Have a modicum on sincerity.
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