Catholic-Jewish relations: Bumps in the road should not slow journey

Published: 2007-08-17

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Summer brought a few bumps in the road of generally good Catholic-Jewish relations, bumps almost certainly caused inadvertently. In a further example of how internal church matters can negatively impact the church's external relations, Pope Benedict XVI's July decision to widen access to the Tridentine Mass and his brief encounter Aug. 5 with Redemptorist Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, a Polish priest accused of anti-Semitism, led to expressions of concern by several Jewish groups. On both occasions, the Vatican responded with statements reaffirming the Catholic Church's commitment to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the completely new chapter the council opened in Jewish-Catholic relations. Despite the hiccups, Oded Ben-Hur, the Israeli ambassador to the Vatican, said, "Officially and institutionally, relations are constantly improving." In an Aug. 16 interview, the ambassador said: "Sometimes the mishaps, which look terrible at the beginning, can strengthen us by forcing us to clarify them. Trial and error is a form of education."

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