In an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, Rabbi Abraham Skorka discussed his friendship with Pope Francis. Skorka is rector of the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in Buenos Aires; he and the future Pope participated together in a television show.
“It makes no sense to just meet for a coffee; during the public meetings strong and demanding statements must be made,” said the rabbi. “We would try to find the hottest and most sensitive topics instead of avoiding them.”
“We understood each other well because since he is a Jesuit in the literal sense, he follows the paradigm of Jesus as teacher, and the Gospels are deeply rooted in the prophets of Israel,” he added.
The rabbi also paid tribute to the work of Blessed John XXIII, Blessed John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI in furthering Jewish-Catholic dialogue.
“In Jesus of Nazareth by Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI’s choice to define the figure of Jesus with the method of Midrash was profound and brilliant,” said Skorka. “I was also impressed by the way he approaches Jesus in comparing him to Moses.”