Pope meets with Israeli rabbi

January 14, 2011

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, chief rabbi of Efrat and chancellor of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC), met with Pope Benedict on January 12. According to the CJCUC, the rabbi briefed the Pope on the center’s work.

“We are taking Your Holiness’ call to stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters in Israel and advocating on their behalf,” Riskin said. “We are looking for ways to alleviate the poverty conditions within this religious community and opportunities to dialogue on those areas where we must cooperate: our united faith in a God of love, compassion, morality and peace rather than a God of will, power and Jihad.”

According to the center, Rabbi Riskin

also informed the Pope of the dialogue opportunities for Christians visiting Israel in which they can learn more about the Jewish foundations of the Christian faith. In response, Pope Benedict XVI commented that “we need to work together.”

The audience was not announced in the Vatican Information Service's daily list of papal audiences.

 

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Further information:

• Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Meets with Pope Benedict XVI (Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation)
• Shlomo Riskin (Wikipedia)
• Audiences (VIS, Jan. 13)
• Audiences (VIS, Jan. 12)