At last week’s interreligious forum on the significance of Pope Francis’s forthcoming visit to the Holy Land and the expectation it inspires for improved relationships between Christians, Muslims and Jews, Rabbi Dr Alon Goshen-Gottstein referred to the Catholic leader as “a rock star.”
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFPope Francis waves as he delivers first "Urbi et Orbi".(photo credit: REUTERS)
At last week’s interreligious forum on the significance of Pope Francis’s forthcoming visit to the Holy Land and the expectation it inspires for improved relationships between Christians, Muslims and Jews, Rabbi Dr Alon Goshen-Gottstein referred to the Catholic leader as “a rock star.”Goshen-Gottstein is founder and executive director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute, which hosted the forum, held at the YMCA in honor of UN World Interfaith Harmony Week. He opened the discussion by pointing out that the pope is not only Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” which makes him “a pop star,” but also on the front cover of Rolling Stone – which makes him, “not just a pop star, but a rock star.”What, then is to be expected of his visit? Peta Jones Pellach, director of educational activities for the Elijah Interfaith Institute and moderator of the evening, says that Francis’s very close friend, Rabbi Avraham Skorka, has told the media that the pope’s visit will herald a new relationship between religions and will have implications for the entire world.William Shomali, the auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem – who also took part in the discussion – is involved in planning the pope’s visit. He is full of hope for the visit, even though it will not include a meeting with non-Christian leaders.At the time the pope’s visit was announced, the bishop told Vatican Radio that the community in the Holy Land is “expecting a lot from this visit.” Local Christians, Jews and Muslims are “counting on it to intensify the ecumenical and the interreligious relationships,” he said.Francis has said his primary aim is to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and then-spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, ecumenical patriarch Atengora. Catholics and the Orthodox have been divided since the “Great Schism of 1054,” precipitated largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope.The pope will be joined in Jerusalem by the current ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew – along with all of the bishops and patriarchs of the Holy City.In March of last year, Bartholomew was the first such leader to initiate and attend a papal installation since the schism, almost a millennium ago. They will celebrate Mass together at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.Shomali expressed the hope that this visit would advance relations with the Orthodox Church. The bishop suggested that immediate results from the visit should not be expected; there would eventually be a difference, but it would only be noticeable over time. He said one of his aspirations is that steps be taken towards synchronizing the date of Easter, currently a major point of division between the churches.RABBI DAVID Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs of the American Jewish Committee – and its Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding – contextualized the upcoming visit in the framework of Jewish-Christian relations. He underscored that all of the pope’s statements and moves regarding interreligious reconciliation were already made by his predecessors. The difference is that Francis is loved by the media – and says things in simple language that is easily understood and accepted by the population at large.Rosen, who received a papal knighthood in 2005 for his contribution to Jewish-Catholic reconciliation, has a particular admiration for the many positive moves the previous pope made regarding relations with non- Catholics. However, he says, the press did not pick up on them. It is Francis who has the charisma – both in the traditional religious sense, and in the vernacular use.Rosen said that precisely because of the brilliance of the pope in capturing the popular imagination, it is a great shame that this trip is so short, and with so few opportunities for meeting the public and with no opportunities for meetings with other religious leaders.This trip will be positive – but it could be so much more positive. Still, the rabbi is certain that the public will be inspired and uplifted, despite the elements that will be missing.The discussion from the forum audience indicated that both the bishop and the rabbi had correctly estimated the affection for the pope, and the hopes people had for a positive outcome from his visit to the Holy Land.Only one “negative” was expressed – the concern that local Roman Catholics would not have an opportunity to celebrate mass with the leader of their religion. The limited nature of the trip is likely to disappoint large numbers who would like to see Francis close up.IN RESPONSE to a question about anti-Semitism in the ranks of the church, both speakers agreed that all the efforts of the Catholic Church since the 1965 Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions of the Second Vatican Council) may still not be enough to eradicate it everywhere. Nevertheless, the Catholic Church has gone through a genuine revolution – Rosen suggested that it is the most radical change of ideology at any time in history – and Jews are no longer blamed for the death of Jesus.Judaism is now considered a “parent” to Christianity. Jesus was unequivocally a Jew – an observant Jew. The pope’s visit can highlight that unique relationship between these religions.There was much discussion about the value of symbolism and the fine line between it and substance. Shomali asked that Israel allow some family reunion visas to Christians to coincide with the visit.The question was also raised as to what local Christians and Muslims might do to show their commitment to the spirit of cooperation that the visit would be symbolizing. Rosen was concerned that timed gestures should not replace an ongoing commitment to behaving morally, and dealing with issues of justice.Sharon Rosen, Rosen’s wife and an activist in her own right, reminded the gathering that the visit is slated to take place three weeks after the scheduled conclusion of the current peace negotiations.She said she hoped the visit would cement some real progress, and suggested there are items in the program (not yet revealed) that could relate to peace efforts.Goshen-Gottstein concluded the evening by speaking of his, and the institute’s, hopes for the visit.He shared the vision of the HOPE Center (House of Prayer and Education), where people of all religions will be able to stand side-byside in prayer, each praying in their own way, and will be able to learn from and about each other. This vision for Jerusalem, in his view, is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.Goshen-Gottstein wants the pope to endorse and launch this project, thus offering real hope for positive change in the relationship
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