Several representatives of the Anti-Defamation League met with the pope this morning at the Vatican. This US organization works against antisemitism and racial hatred. It does so by denouncing these actions and creating educational projects.
The Anti-Defamation League stated that both they and the Catholic Church are concerned about the rise of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the persecution of Christians around the world.
Pope Francis remembered that 'whereas the culture of encounter and reconciliation engenders life and gives rise to hope, the 'non-cultureâ? of hate sows death and reaps despair.â?
The Pope also condemned antisemitism and said that 'the best way of preventing every kind of violence is caring for the sacred gift of all human life, and safeguarding its dignity from conception to death.â?
POPE FRANCIS
'Sadly, anti-Semitism, which I again denounce in all its forms as completely contrary to Christian principles and every vision worthy of the human person, is still widespread today.â?
It was a cordial encounter in which symbolic gifts were not lacking. According to David Sandmel, Director of Inter-religious Engagement in the Anti-Defamation League, 'the relationship between the Jewish people and the Catholic Church is one of the most encouraging stories of the post-World War II eraâ?, and 'can serve as a model in these times of division.â?
He says there are some 'unresolved issues between the Church and the Jewish peopleâ?. These include:
- The failure of Israel and the Holy See to conclude negotiations on the Formal Agreement.
- The fact that the Vatican archives from Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust have yet to be opened to researchers.
-That antisemitism, though expressly and regularly repudiated by the Church, has not yet been eliminated from its ranks.
- Anti-Christian violence and rhetoric from extremist Jews in Israel is also a concern.
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to counter antisemitism. Pope Francis is the third pope to meet with this association, as they also visited John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
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