Vatican says pope will not make return visit to Rome synagogue

Published: 2004-04-20

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II will not make a return visit to Rome's synagogue this spring to help celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Vatican said. Instead, the pope is sending two cardinals to the ceremonies in late May, the Vatican said in a statement April 20. Attending as the pope's personal representative will be Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar of Rome. He will be accompanied by Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews. The Vatican gave no official explanation for the pope's decision not to attend the anniversary ceremonies, but one Vatican source called the decision "prudential." He cited the political situation in the Middle East as one factor and the pope's health as another.

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