By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Relationships between Roman Catholics and Jews have improved in the past and, with a few possible blips, may continue to improve under Pope Francis, whereas the relationships between Catholicism and militant Islam has been fast deteriorating.
So observes Michael Cool in a “journalistic biography” of the Argentine-born Pope, which deals with a range of issues, including the pontiff’s conservative stance toward homosexuality and birth control; his otherwise liberal attitude toward the poor; his refreshing humility, and the symbolic importance of his being the first Pope ever chosen from the Western Hemisphere
In his role as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, the new Pope publicly quarreled with Argentina’s President Cristina Kirchner, who favored allowing same-sex marriages. And, in an echo of the controversy over Pope Pius XII, critics in Argentina have charged that he looked the other way during the time of the military dictatorship, failing to speak up for some 30,000 people who were “disappeared” by the regime.
The possible blips in Catholic and Jewish relations will be if Pope Francis chooses to proceed with the effort to make Pope Pius XII a saint in the eyes of his church. This is an anathema for Jews who believe Pius failed to use his moral authority to oppose the Holocaust, although some Jews say the World War II pope did what he could secretly to save some of our co-religionist.
Another issue developed under Francis’s still living predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who reinstituted into the mass a traditional prayer calling for the conversion of the Jews. For many in our Jewish community this was seen as a disappointing step backward from the time of Benedict XVI’s immediate predecessor, Pope John Paul II, when the phrase “God’s continuing covenant with the Jews” was popularized.
But against these issues, there are positive signs concerning Catholic-Jewish relations as well. Israel’s President Shimon Peres was among the first to congratulate Francis on his election as Pope, and invited him to visit Israel — an invitation to which Francis responded that he has every intention of accepting. In Buenos Aires, where the pope had served as a cardinal, Rabbi Abraham Skorka said “We share the conviction that it is by respecting humanity that you become close to God.”
Compared to the Holy See’s controversies with militant Islam and Hinduism, those with Jews seem minor indeed. Cool, a French journalist, noted that a rising number of Christians have been choosing to immigrate from Africa, Asia and the Middle East to Europe, North America and Australia.
Cool reported that “in October 2010, the Synod of Middle Eastern Bishops expressed its profound concern for the future, or even the survival of their communities, which are divided into various rites (Syrian, Coptic, Armenian, Chaldean, Byzantine, Maronite and more) that are poorly connected to each other. Throughout his pontificate, Benedict XVI never ceased drawing international attention to the welfare of these communities, which have been repeatedly threatened and even attacked.”
He added that on March 14, 2013, the Observatory of Religious Freedom for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that 105,000 Christians were murdered in 2012, with 200 million Christians in Africa and Asia persecuted because of their faith.
“Murderously violent acts were committed in the name of Islam (by the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria, the Sunni fundamentalist movement Jamaat-e-Islam in Parkistan, and as reprisals against the West in Egypt and Iraq) and of Hindusim (by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [RSS] in India, at the instigation of the nationalist BJP.),” the journalist reported.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com