Cohen makes the 1st appearance by a Jew before the Catholic Church's supreme representative body.
By MATTHEW WAGNER, NEWS AGENCIESrabbi with pope 224.88 ap(photo credit: AP)
Haifa Chief Rabbi She'ar Yishuv Cohen expressed his opposition to the beatification of Holocaust-era Pope Pius XII Monday during an unprecedented address before the Vatican's Synod of Bishops.
In the first appearance by a Jew before the supreme representative body of the Catholic Church, Cohen, who was invited to speak about the significance of the Torah for the Jewish people, expressed Jewish disappointment with Pius.
"We feel that the late pope [Pius] should have spoken up much more strongly than he did [against the Holocaust]," Cohen told reporters before his address at the Vatican.
"He may have helped in secrecy many of the victims and many of the refugees but the question is could he have raised his voice and would it have helped or not?
"We, as the victims, feel [the answer is] yes, [and] I am not empowered by the families of the millions of deceased to say we forget, we forgive," said Cohen, who is a member of the Chief Rabbinate's Commission for Relations with the Vatican.
Last month Pope Benedict defended Pius, saying he "spared no effort" on the part of the Jews.
Benedict's comments fueled speculation that Pius would be awarded the status of saint as the Vatican celebrated the 50th anniversary of Pius's death.
There were even rumors that Cohen's precedent-setting invitation to address the synod was aimed at balancing out the expected Jewish opposition to the decision to beatify Pius.
Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee, said that the synod's main focus was to formulate the Church's stand on how to present the Old Testament to Catholics.
"The Catholic Church's theological position on the Jewish people is a work in progress," said Rosen.
"There are differing approaches today within the Church regarding the Jewish people. There are those who say that Catholics should pray, if not work, for the eventual conversion of Jews as a condition for their salvation.
"Others argue that the Jews, unlike other religious faiths, have a unique position. They say that the Church needs to affirm the integrity of the Jewish people as a vehicle for God's plan of redemption for humanity and [that] Jews have an ongoing vitality and purpose in God's design.
"If this more accommodating approach is adopted by the Church, that could have a tremendous impact on Church teachings. Rabbi She'ar Yishuv's participation in the synod could help foster a more positive approach."
Meanwhile, the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Shmuel Riccardo Di Segni, said in a telephone conversation with The Jerusalem Post that there were members of the local Jewish community who were opposed to Cohen's participation in the synod.
"Many people here, including myself, think that Rabbi Cohen should have consulted with the local community to understand the complex relations with the Church before agreeing to take part in the synod."
Di Segni said that in interviews with the local Italian press, Cohen had labeled as "extremists" individuals in the Italian Jewish community who opposed his addressing the synod.
"These people are not extremists by any means. They are simply people who are aware of the delicate relationship between the Church and the Jews," he said.
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