Catholics and Jews must
bear witness to the common belief that man possesses an inviolable
dignity, as created in the image and likeness of God and must bring a
sense of transcendence to contemporary society.
These are tasks that
Benedict XVI outlined in greeting a delegation of 'B'nai B'rith
International, praising its initiatives in interreligious dialogue.
Recalling the group’s participation in a meeting held in Paris in February at the initiative of the International Catholic-Jewish Liaison Committee, to mark
the 40th anniversary dialogue, the Pope termed what has happened in
this period between the two religions "a great gift of God".
“The Paris meeting – he said–affirmed
the desire of Catholics and Jews to stand together in meeting the
immense challenges facing our communities in a rapidly changing world
and, significantly, our shared religious duty to combat poverty,
injustice, discrimination and the denial of universal human rights. There
are many ways in which Jews and Christians can cooperate for the
betterment of the world in accordance with the will of the Almighty for
the good of mankind. Our thoughts turn immediately to
practical works of charity and service to the poor and those in need;
yet one of the most important things that we can do together is bear
common witness to our deeply-held belief that every man and woman is
created in the divine image (cf. Gen 1:26-27) and thus possessed of inviolable dignity. This conviction remains the most secure basis for every effort to defend and promote the inalienable rights of each human being”.
Benedict XVI also recalled the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, where “stress
was laid on the need to promote a sound understanding of the role of
religion in the life of our present-day societies as a corrective to a
purely horizontal, and consequently truncated, vision of the human
person and social coexistence.
The life and work of all
believers should bear constant witness to the transcendent, point to the
invisible realities which lie beyond us, and embody the conviction that
a loving, compassionate Providence guides the final outcome of history,
no matter how difficult and threatening the journey along the way may
sometimes appear”.