How Pope's visit to Rome synagogue can deepen interfaith relations

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis visits Rome’s synagogue on Sunday to meet with leaders and members of the local Jewish community, including several Holocaust survivors. During the afternoon event, the Pope will pay tribute to the 2.191 Jews who were deported by the Nazis in Rome in October 1943, as well as to a young boy who was killed during a terrorist attack on the synagogue by Palestinian gunmen in 1982.

His visit marks the third time a pontiff has been invited to the synagogue, following on from the visit by Benedict XVI in January 2010 and the historic encounter of Pope John Paul II with former Rabbi Elio Toaff there in 1986.

Sunday’s visit follows on from the publication, last December of an important new document from the Vatican’s Commission for religious relations with Jews, exploring the theological developments during the past half century of dialogue between Catholics and Jews.

Fr Norbert Hofmann is secretary of that Commission – he talked to Philippa Hitchen about the importance of Pope Francis’ visit to the synagogue and his hopes for the future of the Catholic-Jewish relationship…

Listen: 

Fr Hofmann notes this is the third visit of a Pope to the Roman synagogue, but he says it is an important sign that Pope Francis wants to deepen and foster Jewish-Catholic friendships. Such friendships, he says, are in the Argentinean pontiff’s DNA, because during his years in Buenos Aires he visited synagogues, celebrating Jewish festivals together with friends and now he is continuing this in Rome on the international level.

Meeting with Holocaust survivors is significant, Fr Hofmann says, because the Shoah was “a very decisive experience” and remains “a pillar of identity” for Jews so this encounter is a sign of “reconciliation”.

Commenting on the new document from his Commission, Fr Hofmann says it’s the first publication dealing explicitly with theological issues and therefore it raises significant hopes for a deepening of the dialogue between people of the two faiths.

Commenting on concerns of Jewish observers over the Holy See’s official recognition of the State of Palestine last year, Fr Hofmann says it is understandable that they find it hard to recognize this as a part of the Vatican’s normal diplomatic activity. But he says progress on the religious and theological level can help to influence positively the political discussions.