Argentine rabbi recalls dialogue with future Pope Francis

June 13, 2013

In Rome for a Jewish-Catholic dialogue sponsored by the Focolare movement, Rabbi Abraham Skorka recalled his conversations with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, with whom he coauthored the book Between Heaven and Earth.

Rabbi Skorka, the rector of the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in Buenos Aires, said Cardinal Bergoglio exemplified “dialogue, [which] means above all learning how to step into the other person’s shoes, to increasingly open our hearts and share the thoughts of the other person, even if we are unable to find agreement,” according to a Vatican Radio summary. The future Pope “also taught me how to understand better the meaning of death, how to live the pain of the other, and how to feel complete empathy with another person.”

The rabbi predicted that Pope Francis will be “emphasizing changes, accepting challenges more and more, undoubtedly with God’s help and God’s blessings.”

 

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Further information:

• Rabbi Skorka recalls writing book with Cardinal Bergoglio (Vatican Radio)
• Pope is a 'spiritual success' who will emphasize change, rabbi says (CNS)