Pope reformulates Tridentine rite's prayer for Jews

Published: 2008-02-05

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has reformulated a Good Friday prayer for the Jews, removing language about the "blindness" of the Jews but preserving a call for their conversion. The new prayer replaces the one contained in the 1962 Roman Missal, sometimes called the Tridentine rite, which is no longer generally used by Catholics but which may be used by some church communities under recently revised norms. The new formulation was published Feb. 5 on the front page of the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, along with a brief note from the Vatican Secretariat of State. The text, made available only in Latin, begins: "Let us pray for the Jews. May the Lord Our God enlighten their hearts so that they may acknowledge Jesus Christ, the savior of all men." It continues: "Almighty and everlasting God, you who want all men to be saved and to reach the awareness of the truth, graciously grant that, with the fullness of peoples entering into your church, all Israel may be saved."

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .