During the week covered by this review, we received 7 articles on the following subjects:
Pope and the Vatican
Christian Organizations
Political Issues
Pope and the Vatican
The Jerusalem Post, March 18, 2013, The Jerusalem Post, March 20, 2013 [X2], The Jerusalem Post, March 21, 2013
A number of articles focused on the inauguration of Pope Francis I and especially on his efforts to reach out to Rome’s Jewish community. The new Pope sent a letter to Rome’s Chief Rabbi, saying: “I very much hope to be able to contribute to the progress that relations between Jews and Catholics have experienced since the Second Vatican Council in a spirit of renewed collaboration.” Rome’s Chief Rabbi responded in kind, saying that the Pope’s letter “gives us the hope that the path of friendship, respect and productive collaboration will continue.”
In another article in The Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem-based Rabbi David Rosen was quoted as saying that he feels “a great deal of excitement and optimism and hope” since “the new pope is deeply committed to the Catholic-Jewish relationship.” President Shimon Peres also addressed the election of the new pope in positive terms, saying that it was a great day for humanity: “The Pope represents meaningful leadership for all of us and not just for the Catholic community.” He added that the pope “would be a very welcome guest in Israel.”
Globes, March 19, 2013
This short piece appeared in the men’s edition of Globes magazine. Supposedly written from the point of view of former pope Benedict XVI in a conversation with himself, the article details the inconvenience of being a pope. The tone is one of blatant mockery: “So many laws. Oh our holy Father in Heaven! . . . When that white smoke rose from the chimney, one could have thought for a moment that finally all those terrible years as an altar boy, bent behind the organ with the local priest, have been paid off. That now – and may the Holy Spirit forgive, yes? – you will make the rules. Whatever! You were not granted even a minute of peace! . . . And this idiotic hat – like a stupid kippa that must be worn even in August, in Rome, and that dries up your Adam’s apple in the heat . . . They are angry with you. They don’t understand how hard it was for you. How hard it was to take even one step in this strange dress that is always getting tangled in your crooked knees . . . Let John Paul II burn! Who could have put on the massive robe he left behind?”
Christian Organizations
Hadashot Haifa VeHazafon, March 13, 2013
Representatives from the Christian Embassy, together with Holocaust survivors from the Haifa Home, helped pack over 1000 Passover gift-baskets, which will be given to needy families in Israel. The initiative was set up by the local non-profit organization Yad Ezer LaChaver.
Political Issues
Shalom Toronto, March 7, 2013
The United Church has been criticized by a number of religious leaders and reporters for the ban it has placed on Israeli goods produced in the West Bank settlements. The United Church does not recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Reporter Christine Williams said that “in old anti-Semitism, Jews were accused of murdering Jesus. History is repeating itself, and in our day, [the United Church] is crucifying Israel with false and unjust accusations.”