Rabbis, cantors meet pope, thank him for efforts with Jews

Published: 2005-01-18

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II, meeting an international group of rabbis and cantors, urged continuing efforts to promote Jewish-Catholic dialogue and respect for every person. "This year we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's declaration 'Nostra Aetate,' which has significantly contributed to the strengthening of Jewish-Catholic dialogue," the pope told the group, which came to Rome under the auspices of the U.S.-based Pave the Way Foundation. The group of 130 rabbis and cantors, accompanied by about 30 Catholic friends, was the largest group of Jewish leaders ever to travel to the Vatican to meet the pope, said Salesian Father Norbert Hofmann, secretary of the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews. Before greeting each member of the group individually Jan. 18, the pope expressed his hope for a "renewed commitment to increased understanding and cooperation in the service of building a world ever more firmly based on respect for the divine image in every human being." Gary Krupp, founder and president of the Pave the Way Foundation, thanked the pope for his efforts to promote Catholic-Jewish dialogue, for his condemnations of anti-Semitism, for his asking forgiveness for wrongs committed by Catholics against Jews and for his 2000 visit to Israel.

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