Thursday, April 17, 2008

Jews and Christians have common spiritual ties and hope for peace, says Pope

Washington DC, Apr 17, 2008 / 11:10 pm (CNA).- In a meeting following his session with leaders of non-Christian religions, Pope Benedict gave a special greeting to the Jewish leaders. He underlined the common spiritual heritage of the two faiths and asked for cooperation between the two faiths in working to achieve peace, particularly in the Middle East and the Holy Land.

The Pope’s message was framed within the context of the annual Jewish celebration of the Passover or “Pesah”. He also explained that the message should serve as “a testimony to our hope centered on the Almighty and his mercy.”

Benedict began drawing upon the common spiritual roots of Judaism and Christianity by saying, “While the Christian celebration of Easter differs in many ways from your celebration of Pesah, we understand and experience it in continuation with the biblical narrative of the mighty works which the Lord accomplished for his people.”

The Pontiff also said that he wanted to “re-affirm the Second Vatican Council's teaching on Catholic-Jewish relations and reiterate the Church's commitment to the dialogue that in the past forty years has fundamentally changed our relationship for the better.”
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