WJC President Ronald S. Lauder expresses gratitude for His Holiness’s “extraordinary efforts to strengthening Catholic-Jewish relations, and for his dedication to seeing a true and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Excerpts from Post at Vatican News forwarded by Treasure Earth
Pope: Jews and Christians can pave the way for peace
Pope addresses a delegation of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), saying the shared religious heritage of Jews and Christians should be an incentive to act together for fraternity and peace in a broken world.
By Correspondent from Vatican News
Welcoming members of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) lead by its President Ronald S. Lauder, on Tuesday, Pope Francis said the common religious heritage of Jews and Christians should be seen as an “incentive to act together” for a more fraternal and peaceful world.
Ongoing dialogue
Jews and Christians should be seen as an “incentive to act together” for a more fraternal and peaceful world.
Ongoing dialogue
In his address the Pope recalled that from the Second Vatican Council, the organization has been in dialogue with the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and noted that their visit “testifies to and strengthens the bonds of friendship” between the Holy See and the Jewish community…
Working together for peace and fraternity
The religious heritage that Christians and Jews share should, therefore be, regarded as “an incentive to act together” to “make the world more fraternal, combatting forms of inequality and promoting greater justice, so that peace will not remain an otherworldly promise, but become a present reality in our world. “Common and concrete initiatives aimed at promoting justice call for courage, cooperation and creativity”, Pope Francis further noted.
As the world continues to be marred by war, which he reiterated is a “defeat for all humanity”, the Pope hence called for a joint effort to pave the way for peace…..
….“As Jews and Christians, let us seek to do all that is humanly possible in order to put an end to war and to pave paths of peace.”
Concluding Pope Francis thanked the delegation for the visit, expressing the wish that the Most-High may lead Jews and Christians together in the way of peace.
The World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress represents Jewish organizations in 100 countries around the world advocating on their behalf towards governments, parliaments, international organizations and other faiths. Since its foundation in 1936, the WJC has been at the forefront of fighting for the rights of Jews, advocating for justice for Holocaust victims and their heirs, and countering resurgent anti-Semitism….
For decades, the WJC has maintained privileged relations with the Holy See in developing dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church. The Congress is also engaged in fostering interfaith relations with other Christian churches, representatives of Islamic nations and other faiths.
END of Vatican Post
Excerpts from the WJC website forwarded by Treasure Earth
“During the positive and productive meeting, the sides discussed a range of topics including the importance of interfaith dialogue at a community level, and the need for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to bring about a peaceful solution.
Pope Francis stressed the utmost importance of engaging in dialogue with Muslims, underscoring that it is the only way to bring peace and stability to the region.
WJC President Lauder expressed his deep appreciation to the Pope for his active dedication to these causes, and the sides discussed a number of future projects to embark on together. Lauder also voiced his concern regarding attacks against Christians in the Middle East, and the deafening silence from world leaders about their plight and emphasized the need to stand up on behalf of all persecuted peoples.
In a symbolic act, Pope Francis also joined the World Jewish Congress’ We Remember campaign, to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In remarks following the meeting, WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: “Pope Francis is one of the greatest allies of the Jewish people and Israel in the world. We are deeply grateful for his commitment to speaking out against anti-Semitism and hatred, his extraordinary efforts to strengthening Catholic-Jewish relations, and for his dedication to seeing a true and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The World Jewish Congress greatly appreciates the friendship and trust we have formed with the Pope over recent years, and look forward to continuing this work together, to secure a strong future for the next generation.”
