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Reconciliation

In his bold new book, "Jesus of Nazereth", Pope Benedict XVI has effected a widescale exoneration of the Jewish people for the death of Jesus Christ, having found them, as a whole, not guilty.

March 2, 2011 at 11:55PM

"Pope Benedict, in a new book, has personally exonerated Jews of allegations they were responsible for Jesus Christ's death, repudiating the concept of collective guilt that has haunted Christian-Jewish relations for centuries."-Reuters, Philip Pullella, 3/2/2011

In his book "Jesus of Nazareth", Pope Benedict XVI "uses a biblical and theological analysis to explain why it is not true that the Jewish people as a whole were responsible for Jesus' death. Interpretations to the contrary have been used for centuries to justify the persecution of Jews."

"…the Vatican issued its most authoritative document on the issue in 1965, "Nostra Aetate," which revolutionized the Catholic Church's relations with Jews by saying Christ's death could not be attributed to Jews as a whole at the time or today." -N. Winfield, AP, 3/2/11

At a time when rising anti-Semitism has become increasingly pervasive throughout Europe and the Middle East, the Pope's emphatic exoneration of the Jewish people, as a whole, in his new book is a substantial and noble action.

"While the Vatican has for five decades taught that Jews weren't collectively responsible, Jewish scholars said Wednesday the argument laid out by the German-born pontiff, who has had his share of mishaps with Jews, was significant and would help fight anti-Semitism today."-AP March 2011

This recent action follows a less congenial encounter in 2008 between the Vatican and Jewish groups:

"Bringing back an ancient rite risked reopening ancient wounds. And so after Pope Benedict XVI introduced wider use of the old Latin rite last year, top Vatican officials promised to adjust a Good Friday prayer from the ancient liturgy that had called for the conversion of the Jews. The text of the updated version — released this week in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano — deletes offensive language referring to Jews' "blindness" and the need to "remove the veil from their hearts." But the substance is left in place: "Let us pray for the Jews," the prayer says, according to an unofficial translation from Latin. "May the Lord our God illuminate their hearts so that they may recognize Jesus Christ savior of all men."

"The wounds, according to top Jewish leaders and rabbis, have been reopened. They say the prayer, which in reality had never been scrapped completely, recalls past centuries of forced conversions and a lingering incomprehension of their faith."

" Rome's chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni told reporters that the prayer brings Catholic-Jewish relations "back 43 years," noting that the 1960s Second Vatican Council had spoken of an "alliance" between the two faiths. Di Segni spoke indignantly about reassurances he said he'd received from Church leaders that his concerns about the conversion language would have been addressed. It raises questions about just what is the "image of the Jewish people for the Church," said Di Segni. "It's an old question: What are the Jews doing here on earth? If this [prayer] is the requirement for dialogue, it is intolerable." Jeff Israely,Time.com 2/7/08

Hopefully, the positive vibes from this new book will serve to strengthen ties, and usher in a new era for Christian-Jewish relations.

What if peaceful declarations and actions of reconciliation between peoples were boldly followed by all faiths and their respective leaders?

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