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Religion See other Religion Articles Title: Pope gives warning of new rise in anti-Jewish prejudice On an occasion rich with historical undertones, Pope Benedict XVI yesterday visited the synagogue in Cologne, telling his Jewish hosts that the Shoah (Holocaust) had represented "the darkest period of German and European history" and warning of "the rise of new signs of anti-Semitism". Paddy Agnew reports from Cologne. The heavy weight of history, both personal and collective, hung in the air as the Pope issued an emphatic denunciation of the "insane racist ideology" of Nazism. Among those who officially greeted him was the president of the Jewish community, Abraham Lerner, whose elderly mother, present yesterday, still bears the tattooed number given to her in a Nazi concentration camp. More than 11,000 Cologne Jews were sent to their deaths in concentration camps, whil the synagogue was burned down by the Nazis during the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1939, being rebuilt in 1959. Pope Benedict is only the second pontiff to have visited a synagogue, following the visit made to the synagogue in Rome by his predecessor, John Paul II, in 1986. After he had paused for a moment of prayer in front of a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, the pope was greeted with a long blast on the ancient shofar or ram's horn, which is usually blown to announce an important event. Addressing 500 members of the Jewish community, he started his speech with the words Shalom lechem (Peace Be Unto You). Tracing the history of Christian-Jewish relations in the city, he said: "In the 20th century there was the darkest period of German and European history when an insane racist ideology, born of neo-paganism, gave rise to the planned and systematic attempt by the regime to exterminate European Jewry. The result has passed into history as the Shoah." Recalling the "common roots" and "rich spiritual heritage" shared by Christians and Jews, the Pope spoke of the Catholic Church's duty to condemn all forms of discrimination, whether by race or colour, class or religion and to transmit that teaching to those younger generations who did not witness Nazism and the Holocaust. In that context, he warned against "new signs of anti-Semitism and various forms of a generalised hostility towards foreigners". The Pope also called for "sincere and trustful" dialogue as the only way to resolve disputed historical questions, an apparent reference to bitterly divisive issues such as the alleged silence of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust. In his only break from his prepared text, the Pope suggested that Jews and Catholics needed to show respect and love for one another in areas of existing differences. When he had finished, he was given a rousing standing ovation. The service then concluded with singing of the blessing, Sim Shalom - "Bless Us Our Father, All of Us as One, with the Light of Your Face". Pope Benedict, who is in Cologne to attend the week-long World Youth Day Catholic festival, has scheduled meetings not only with the Jewish but also with the Protestant and Islamic communities during his four-day stay. These initiatives would appear to follow on from his first homily as Pope, on the day after his election, when he promised to work hard to improve inter-religious and ecumenical relations. Having visited the synagogue in the morning, the Pope met Protestant church leaders last night, reaffirming to them his commitment to "making the recovery of full and visible Christian unity a priority. . ." Later Pope Benedict met Germany's Protestant leaders. He told them he knew many Christians were hopeful of closer ties, and the divisions between them were against God's will. The head of Germany's Protestant Church Council, Bishop Wolfgang Huber, said: "I leave these talks encouraged and confident that we can make a big contribution to ecumenism in Germany.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: robin (#0)
Christianity is fast becoming the religion of slavery. Folks who talk of the Bible as the literal word of God are merely admiring it as monument over the grave Western Civilization.
#2. To: Zoroaster, Eoghan (#1)
No mention of the rise in hatred against Muslims or just Arabs in general.
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