The Jewish community of Rome confirmed Monday that Pope Benedict XVI would visit the city's synagogue as scheduled this month despite strained ties over plans to make World War II-era pope Pius XII a saint.The pope's visit will take place on January 17 as part of "a day to deepen and further develop the dialogue between Jews and Catholics," the Jewish community's statement said.
Ties were strained recently between Jews and Catholics over the Vatican's steps to make World War II-era pope Pius XII a saint.
The visit will also coincide with a holiday commemorating an anti-Semitic attack against Rome's Jewish ghetto in 1793 which for Jews has become a symbol of their survival in the face of anti-Semitism and persecutions.
The Vatican last month came under fire from the Jewish community worldwide over a papal decree bestowing the title "venerable" on Pius XII in a step towards beatification.
The pontiff from 1939 to 1958 has been accused of inaction while Germany's Nazi regime was exterminating millions of Jews in Europe's concentration camps.
The Vatican has said that the papal decree "essentially concerns the individual's witness of Christian life . . . (and not) the historical importance of all his operative choices," spokesman Federico Lombardi said.
The Catholic Church has long argued that Pius XII saved many Jews who were hidden away in religious institutions, and that his silence was born out of a wish to avoid aggravating their situation.
However, Jewish leaders like the head of Germany's Central Jewish Council, Stephan Kramer, called the the Vatican's stance on Pius "a clear hijacking of historical facts concerning the Nazi era."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
SIC: NDN