In Jerusalem, Pope meets Muslim, Jewish leaders

May 12, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI continued his pilgrimage of peace in Israel on Tuesday, May 12, meeting first with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and later with the leaders of the Chief Rabbinate. The Holy Father also visited the most prominent shrines of Islam and Judaism: the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall of the ancient Temple.

[Later in the day the Pope turned his attention to the Christian minority in the Holy Land. See the separate CWN News Brief.] The Pope began his day on the Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock was built in 640 on the ruins of the old Temple. The site has long been a focal point of religious tensions; the mosque that stood as a signal of Muslim conquest was converted into a Christian church after the Crusades, then restored as a mosque when the Crusaders were ousted from Jerusalem. The Pope was welcomed there by the Grand Mufti, Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, who escorted him around the building. In his prepared remarks the Pope repeated his oft-expressed argument that dialogue between different faiths should be based on an appeal to reason. "Reason opens the mind to grasp the shared nature and common destiny of the human family, while freedom moves the heart to accept the other and serve him in charity," he said.

While Pope Benedict emphasized the importance of inter-religious amity, there was a distinct note of discord when the Muslim leader railed against Israeli policies and asked for the Pontiff's help "to end the ongoing aggression against our people, our land, and our holy sites."

From the mosque the Pope continued to the Western Wall, the only remaining portion of the ancient Temple. Following the example of Pope John Paul II, he prayed silently at the Wall, and-- in accordance with the Jewish tradition-- placed a slip of paper containing his prayer petition into a crack in the Wall. In that prayer-- which the Vatican made public-- the Pontiff asked God to "send your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East, ?upon the entire human family."

Next the Pope visited the headquarters of the Chief Rabbinate, meeting with Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger. He told the Jewish leaders of his "desire to deepen mutual understanding and co-operation between the Holy See, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and Jewish people throughout the world." He reassured the rabbis that "the Catholic Church is irrevocably committed to the path chosen at Vatican Council II for a genuine and lasting reconciliation between Christians and Jews."

One of the Jewish leaders who met with the Pontiff, Rabbi Yona Metzger, later told reporters that at his request the Pontiff had made a "historic agreement" that Catholics "will henceforth desist from all missionary and conversion activities amongst our people."

 

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Further information:

• Benedict XVI meets with Grand Mufti of Jerusalem (VIS)
• Pope: friendship with Jews, dialogue with Islam and all together to work for peace (AsiaNews)
• Pope's Prayer at Western Wall (Vatican Radio)
• Pope visits Chief Rabbinate of Israel (VIS)
• 'Vatican to stop missioning Jews' (Jerusalem Post)