Pope Francis -- Into an ice age: 1. “fuels an already out of control global antisemitism” 2. “Inappropriate comments while antisemitism runs rampant in Europe” and around the world
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate still has not decided on a response to Francis’s comments, according to Oded Weiner, past Director General of the Chief Rabbinate and a leader in its ties with the Holy See
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“We are weighing how to react”
Weiner added that some members of its Catholic relations council wanted to suspend relations with the Vatican
Weiner said, ”the council received news of the genocide remarks “with total bewilderment”
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“Is this appropriate to say now while antisemitism runs rampant in Europe?”
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“Throughout the years there have been accusations pointed at us about blood libels and that Jews are murderers
Now, after Amsterdam and after France and after all the hatred and antisemitism that is burning in every part of Europe [and around the world] at exactly this time you found something to say?”
Saint Joseph’s University professor Philip Cunningham urged cooler heads to prevail and for the decades of Jewish-Catholic conversations to continue
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“The immediate urgency that I feel and I don’t think, I’m alone in this among Catholics, is that the dialogue must not be allowed to become one of the victims of the conflict; that we must continue”
According to Rabbi David Rosen, former American Jewish Committee International Director of Inter-religious Affairs that dialogue won’t end but
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“it’s definitely going to be going through a bit of an ice age”
Rosen lamented,
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“This is the Pope who was seen as the great friend of the Jewish people and who sees himself as a great friend of Jewish people”
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“Francis will not be seen in Jewish quarters in quite the same positive light as he was seen before”
