On February 13, 2003, Pope John Paul II and the new Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo DiSegni met in Vatican City. The pope greeted the rabbi and expressed the Church's desire to deepen its ties with the Jewish people. The rabbi expressed the need for ongoing collaboration and invited the pope to revisit the Rome synagogue during its centenary year in 2004. The texts of their prepared remarks follow.

Pope John Paul II

Esteemed Chief Rabbi of Rome and beloved brothers in the faith of Abraham!

I am happy to meet you, esteemed Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, after your election as Chief Rabbi of Rome, and I cordially greet you and the representatives who have accompanied you. I renew my congratulations to you for the important office entrusted to you, and on this important occasion would like to remember with profound esteem your illustrious predecessor, Prof. Elio Toaff.

Today's visit allows me to emphasize the intense desire of the Catholic Church to strengthen its ties of friendship and reciprocal collaboration with the Jewish community. Here in Rome the Synagogue, symbol of the faith of the children of Abraham, is a close neighbor of the Basilica of Saint Peter, center of the Church, and I thank God who allowed me on 13 April 1986 to traverse the short distance that separates these two temples. That historic and unforgettable visit was a gift from the Almighty, and an important milestone on the path toward understanding between Jews and Catholics. I hope that the memory of that event will continue to exert a beneficial influence, and that the path of reciprocal trust that has developed to date will intensify relations between the Catholic community and the Jewish community in Rome, the oldest in Western Europe.

It must be recognized that in the past our two communities have lived side by side, sometimes writing 'a tormented history', not free in several instances of hostility and distrust. The Vatican Council II document Nostra Aetate, the gradual application of the conciliar dictate, the gestures of friendship that have been made by both sides, have however contributed in these years to orienting our relations towards an ever greater reciprocal understanding. I hope that this effort proceeds, that it may be shaped by initiatives of fruitful collaboration in the social, cultural and theological fields, and may deepen the knowledge of those spiritual ties that join us.

In these days dangerous cries of war echo throughout the world. We, Jews and Catholics, perceive the urgent mission to implore God the Creator and the Eternal One for peace and that we ourselves become workers of peace.
Shalom! This beautiful word, so dear to you, means salvation, happiness, harmony and underlines that peace is a gift from God, a fragile gift, placed in the hands of humanity and one to be safeguarded by the dedication of our communities.

May God make us agents of peace, in the awareness that when humanity performs works of peace, it becomes capable of bettering the world. Shalom! This is my cordial greeting to you and the entire Jewish community of Rome. May God, in his goodness protect and bless every one of us. May He bless, in particular, all those who forge a path of friendship and peace between men and women of every race and culture.

Rabbi Di Segni

In nearly two thousand years that our communities have lived together in this city, there have been numerous encounters between the Bishop of Rome and the Rabbi of Rome. Even during the long periods of submission and often of humiliation, there were also not lacking instances of collaboration, such as when rabbis, who were also doctors, mounted the steps of the papal palaces to offer their medical expertise. We know well that the climate of these last decades is remarkably changed and today, as never before, the prospects of constructive encounters in equal dignity are unfolding. This has been possible thanks to the great initiatives of Pope John XXIII, but no Pope has ever contributed so much as John Paul II. We recognize and are grateful for this.

The way is not simple and demands the patience and a constructive will that remains firm in the face of unavoidable difficulties, which often appear on the horizon of theology, historical interpretation, and education. Our presence here today should be a gesture of continuity and availability. We follow with attention the large and small positive signs, and at this moment for example, we are comforted by the signs of rapprochement with the State of Israel and by the recent visit of President Moshè Katzav to the Vatican.

The witness of the One God who has revealed himself and the duty to pursue holiness inspire our actions and impose responsibilities upon us before all. For this reason, collaboration between Jews and Christians is necessary for us and for the world; it is a fertile sign of peace and blessing. First and foremost in the defense of life, of human dignity and peace, whenever threatened and offended because, in our Scriptures humanity has been created in the divine image and so each individual must be respected. And it is necessary to watch for and to work against xenophobia, prejudice, and anti-Semitism and all other forms of hostility against those who are different.

The prospects that unfold for collaboration are numerous. In this context, and in our city, may we suggest a permanent form of consultation, that on one hand could work to prevent possible misunderstandings, and on the other could define procedures for concrete activities.

The Jewish Community remembers your historic visit to our Synagogue in 1986. Our Synagogue will celebrate the first centenary of its inauguration next year. The doors of this sacred building are always open in accord with the words of Isaiah (56:7), "my house will be called house of prayer for all the peoples".

The blessing that should accompany our every meeting is, first of all, a personal wish for your good health, strength, and wisdom for many years to come.

 

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