Pope John Paul II appointed six new consultors of the Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, on April 3, 2003. These included the Latin-rite Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo of Jerusalem; Reverend Georges Cottier, papal household theologian; and Reverend Elias Chacour, president of the Mars Elias Educational Institute in Ibillin, Israel. Also appointed were Reverend Patrick Desbois, secretary of the French Bishops' Commission for Judaism; Sister Lucy Thorson, of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion; and Hans Hermann Henrix, director of the Academy of the Diocese of Aachen, Germany. The only American consultor is Dr. Eugene Fisher who was reappointed for the fifth time to his position as one of 10. In a cover letter to the appointment, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the commission, wrote: “The renewal of your mandate imparts particular joy as it enables the commission to continue to involve you and to benefit from your valuable collaboration in its aim of promoting and nurturing relations between Catholics and Jews.”

The papal council that promotes dialogue with religions other than Christianity and Judaism saw the new appointment of Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald as president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. He succeeded Cardinal Francis Arinze who was appointed to Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, where he will oversee the prayer and liturgical life of the Roman Catholic Church.

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