- Justin McLellan (Vatican City, CNS)
The new Pope Leo XIV wishes to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people. He has expressed this in a message addressed to Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
"Trusting in the assistance of the Almighty, I pledge myself to continue and strengthen the Church's dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people," the Pope affirms. "In the spirit of the Second Vatican Council's declaration 'Nostra Aetate'" he adds. The papal message was posted on the AJC's X account on May 13.
The declaration 'Nostra Aetate' ('In Our Time'), dated 1965, was authored by St. Paul VI. "Nostra Aetate" affirmed the spiritual kinship of the Catholic Church with the Jewish people, and condemned all forms of anti-Semitism.
Israel's "right to exist in peace".
AJC is an advocacy group that "defends Israel's right to exist in peace and security. It confronts anti-Semitism, no matter the source. And it defends the democratic values that unite Jews and our allies," according to its website.
Pope Leo did not explicitly address the war between Israel and Hamas after praying the "Regina Coeli" with pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on May 11. But he did call for an "immediate cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip. "That humanitarian aid be provided to the affected civilian population, and that all hostages be released," he said.
Pope Leo also sent a personal message to Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, "informing him of his election as the new pontiff". The statement was published on May 13 on the Facebook page of the Jewish community of Rome.
In its message, the statement said: "Pope Leo XIV undertook to continue and to strengthen the dialogue and the church's cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of Vatican II's 'Nostra Aetate' declaration."
Chief Rabbi to attend inauguration of Pontificate
"The Chief Rabbi of Rome, who will be present at the celebration of the inauguration of the Pontificate (May 18), welcomed with satisfaction and gratitude the words addressed to him by the new Pope," the communiqué added.
The Jews have lived in Rome since long before Christ was born. Centuries of interaction between the city's Jewish community and the popes mean that Jewish-Vatican relations have a unique history, much of it sad.
A special exhibition
In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI visited the synagogue in Rome, the staff of the Jewish Museum of Rome planned a special exhibit illustrating part of that history.
The centerpiece of the exhibition was composed of 14 decorative panels made by Jewish artists to mark the inauguration of the pontificates of various Popes. They were Clement XII, Clement XIII, Clement XIV and Pius VI in the 18th century.
Humiliations
For hundreds of years, the Jewish community was forced to participate in the ceremonies surrounding the enthronement of new Popes. Often in a humiliating manner.
Several groups in the city were assigned to decorate different sections of the Pope's route between the Vatican and the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Pope's cathedral.
The Jewish community was responsible for the stretch of road between the Colosseum and the Arch of Titus, which celebrates the victory of the Roman Empire over the Jews of Jerusalem in the first century.
The Roman victory included the destruction of the Temple, the holiest site in Judaism. The triumphal arch depicts Roman soldiers carrying away the menorah and other Jewish liturgical elements.
