Rabbi speaks against Pius XII beatification, asks Synod of Bishops to defend Israel

October 07, 2008

Denouncing the ‘terrible and vicious words’ spoken in last month’s UN address by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Chief Rabbi Shear-Yashuv Cohen of Haifa urged the Synod of Bishops on Monday to ‘protect, defend and save Israel, the one and only sovereign state of the ‘people of the book,’ from the hands of our enemies.’ The rabbi also told reporters that Pope Pius XII ‘should not be sanctified or looked up to because of his failure to save us, to raise his voice, even if he secretly tried to help … Maybe he was afraid, or for other reasons known to him he did not raise his voice. And that we cannot forget.’ He added, ‘I am not empowered by the families of the millions of deceased to say we forget, we forgive.’

 

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Further information:

• Rabbi asks pope, synod leaders to speak out to defend Israel (CNS)
• Haifa chief rabbi addresses the Vatican (Jerusalem Post)
• Rabbi calls his speech to Catholic bishops a 'signal of hope' (AFP)
• Rabbi at Vatican meeting condemns Iran president (AP)
• Rabbi is 1st Jew to address Synod (Zenit)
• John Allen: Rabbi says Jews cannot 'forgive and forget' Pius XII (National Catholic Reporter)