The rift in Vatican-Jewish relations that followed the Vatican's move to lift the ex-communication of a Holocaust-denying bishop may be coming to an end, according to the World Jewish Congress.The international organisation, which represents 100 Jewish communities throughout the world, held talks in Rome on February 9 with the president of the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews Cardinal Walter Kasper.
The delegation visited Rome to discuss the lifting of ex-communication of four bishops of the Society of St Pius X, including Bishop Richard Williamson, who was seen in an interview for Swedish television, about the same time that his ex-communication was lifted, denying the gassing of 6 million Jews.
The bishops, including the current superior-general of the Society of St Pius X, were ex-communicated in 1988 when they received episcopal ordination illicitly at the hands of Marcel Lefebvre, who ordained them without papal permission.
World Jewish Congress president Ronald Lauder said the Vatican had so far taken the necessary first steps to respond to concerns from the Jewish community, but that those steps had to be followed up by concrete actions.
The 68-year-old British Bishop Richard Williamson has since been silenced on the issue of the Holocaust and relieved of his duties as director of the Society of St Pius X seminary in Argentina.
"We want the Vatican to realise that by accommodating anti-Semites like (Bishop) Williamson, the achievements of four decades of Catholic-Jewish dialogue since the 1965 declaration 'Nostra Aetate' will be put into doubt," he said.
"We now believe that our message has been understood. The controversial debate of the past three weeks has had a positive impact."
Mr Lauder expressed hope that the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Israel later this year would go ahead as planned: "We are looking forward to the Pope's visit to the Holy Land. This will be an opportunity to reaffirm the Vatican's commitment to dialogue with Jews."
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(Source: CL)