Cologne's Jewish leaders hope pope's visit helps Catholic-Jewish ties

Published: 2005-08-01

COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) -- Jewish leaders said they hope Pope Benedict XVI's visit to a Cologne synagogue will help improve Catholic-Jewish relations. "We hope that the visit will be a sign for the future," said Michael Rado, a member of the board of the Cologne synagogue, which the pope is scheduled to visit Aug. 19. "In spite of the efforts of the church in recent years, there is still anti-Semitism based on religious grounds in the minds of some people. If the pope takes the step of visiting a synagogue, it will make once more clear that the movement in the church is away from such anti-Semitism," he said. Synagogue board member Ebi Lehrer said the fact that it is a German pope who is visiting is not a major issue. "We see him as the pope, as the head of the Catholic Church, and not so much as a German," he said. "Perhaps it even makes it easier for him to visit a community in his home country."

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