100-plus Rabbis Sign Statement Welcoming Pope to Israel

Posted by Marilynn Hughes May 6, 2009

May 04, 2009

More than 100 rabbis have signed “United in Our Age,” a statement welcoming Pope Benedict to Israel. “We-- rabbis and Jewish leaders-- warmly welcome you and your mission of peace to Israel,” the statement says. “With one voice, we are united in our commitment to interreligious dialogue, to opening more paths to increased understanding, and to continually recognize and strengthen the important relationship between Catholics and Jews worldwide.”

In an article in the April 29 English-language edition of L’Osservatore Romano, Rabbi David Rosen, director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee, expressed similar sentiments. “In visiting Israel and demonstrating the Holy See’s respect for the Jewish state, reinforcing the impact of the pioneering visit of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI will undoubtedly further advance the historical process of Catholic-Jewish reconciliation,” he wrote.