POPE BENEDICT XVI’S VISIT TO THE USA – April 15-20, 2008

Pope Benedict’s first papal visit to the USA entailed five days of events of Washington, DC and New York City. The events included addressing approximately 200 interreligious leaders at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC on April 17, and visiting New York’s Park East Synagogue on April 18. Following are columns which appeared in Catholic News Service and The New York Times after each event.

Scripted Interreligious Encounter Sparks Spontaneous Remarks

By Regina Linskey
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- After Pope Benedict XVI addressed about 200 interreligious leaders at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington April 17, the scripted encounter with the pope turned into something resembling a town-hall meeting.

As scheduled after his official address in the cultural center's atrium, Pope Benedict personally greeted 10 representatives of the five main religions present. But when he went into a separate room to give Passover greetings to Jewish representatives, three Muslims and a couple of other interreligious leaders told the remaining audience what they said to the pope during their brief encounter with him. Though the informal remarks were calm, the spontaneous scene startled those who had settled down after the pope left for the closed-door session with the Jews.

Sayyid Syeed, national director of interfaith and community alliances for the Washington-based Islamic Society of North America, was the first to stand up and share. "People would have gone home with a curiosity (and not knowing) what we said" to the pope, Syeed told Catholic News Service April 18. Syeed said he told the pope "interfaith dialogue has become a way of life" in America and that the 10-year dialogue between American Catholics and Muslims was successful and productive. "I told him that we should jointly pray (and) that none of us should commit any action that could in any sense hurt this process of bridge-building," he said.

Mazammil Siddiqi, chairman of the California-based Fiqh Council of North America, said during his improvisational remarks that he told the pope "American Muslims would like to also have a special audience with you (the pope)." Siddiqi urged the pope to use his influence to find a president for Lebanon. Lebanon's presidential post, which is constitutionally reserved for a Maronite Catholic, has been empty since November. The pope responded that he'd do his best, Siddiqi told the crowd.

Syeed invited other representatives to speak, and a few others, including Dr. Uma Mayasekhara, the Hindu leader who greeted the pope, did. After the event, Siddiqi told CNS he was happy that about 60 Muslim representatives from around the country attended the event. Several other interreligious leaders talked to CNS about their impressions of the event.

David Michaels, the New York-based director for intercommunal affairs for B'nai B'rith International's Center for Human Rights and Public Policy, told CNS he spoke to the pope after the separate meeting with the Jews. Michaels said he whispered to the pope that Jews and Catholics must "avoid relativism in dialogue and avoid the danger of triumphalism." Michaels, who was one of the five young people who presented Pope Benedict with a symbol of peace in the atrium, said he was referring to the pope's revision of the Good Friday prayer, which is used only in the liturgy celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal, or Tridentine rite. Michaels said the prayer's language could encourage Catholics to proselytize to Jewish people. There is a "tremendous risk for misunderstanding (for the Catholic faithful) in the absence of clear guidance from the Holy See," he said.

Rabbi Leonard Schoolman, director of the Center of Religious Inquiry at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York, said the pope "certainly made a great effort to reach out to the Jewish community" in the larger and smaller meetings. "No one here who is Jewish takes this as a pro forma thing," he said. Rabbi Craig Miller appreciated the pope putting his message of interreligious dialogue in an American context. He said he called his 14-year-old daughter so she could hear the pope's speech over the phone.

Arvind Vora, chairman of interreligious affairs for the New York-based Federation of Jain Associations in North America, said he was impressed that the pope took the time to greet the five young people as he entered the atrium. Describing it as a "very subtle way to give a message that we all must work together," he said the greeting "makes a big difference" for many observers that "his actions follow his words."

In Another Historic Act, Pope Benedict Visits a Manhattan Synagogue

By Paul Vitello
New York Times, April 19, 2008

Pope Benedict XVI on Friday became the first Roman Catholic pontiff to visit a Jewish place of worship in the United States, standing before the ark at an Upper East Side synagogue, extending his white-robed arms, and telling a group of about 100 prominent Jewish New Yorkers, “Dear friends, Shalom.” The visit was simple and brief, lasting all of 25 minutes.

Compared with the pomp-laden events that have filled most of his visit to the United States, the pope’s appearance at the Park East Synagogue on East 68th Street was a study in less-is-more diplomacy. The pope expressed his esteem for “the Jewish community in New York City,” and for his host, Senior Rabbi Arthur Schneier, a Holocaust survivor who extended the invitation to him, and extolled the virtues of “building bridges of friendship” between people of all faiths. He made passing reference to the forthcoming Passover holiday, “as you prepare to celebrate the great deeds of the Almighty,” and described the emotional power for him “to recall that Jesus, as a young boy, heard the words of Scripture and prayed in a place such as this.”

Despite the intense police security — officers combed the pews, the stairwells and every crevice of the 120-year-old Orthodox synagogue for hours before the pope’s arrival — he adopted an almost breezy approach to his historic visit. Referring to the nearby East 72nd Street residence of the papal nuncio to the United Nations, where he is staying during his New York visit, he told the assembled group of about 100 congregation members and invited Jewish leaders that “the proximity of this place of worship to my residence gives me the opportunity to greet some of you today.”

Jewish men and women sat in the pews to the left, the men wearing white yarmulkes. In the pews to the right were a group of Roman Catholic cardinals and bishops wearing red skullcaps. From the balcony above, where the news media sat, their respective caps suggested the beginning of a game of checkers. Members of the congregation described the event as deeply affecting and historic. “He was very sincere in expressing his wish for improved relations between our faiths,” said Philip Weisberg, a finance executive. “This is someone who represents a huge group of people, so this is historic.”

In an exchange of gifts, the pope gave Rabbi Schneier a replica of a medieval Hebrew parchment, part of the Vatican library collection, containing the legal writings of a renowned rabbinical scholar, Jacob Ben Asher. Members of the temple gave the pope a silver Seder plate and a large package of matzo, which the pontiff said he would eat on Saturday, drawing hearty laughs from the assembly. Rabbi Schneier, 78, praised the progress in Catholic-Jewish relations since the Second Vatican Council in 1965, when, among other things, the church officially reversed its longtime dogma that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. “Your presence gives us hope and courage for the road we still have to travel together,” Rabbi Schneier said.

In his brief remarks, the pope did not refer to tensions that persist. Last year, for example, the pope reinstituted a Good Friday prayer in Latin that seeks the conversion of Jews to the Catholic faith — a move that drew criticism from Jewish leaders who consider it a backward step from Vatican II reforms. Rabbi Schneier, speaking to reporters afterward, allowed that the reinstitution of the prayer was “certainly not Jewish-friendly.”

But the light of a perfect spring day poured through the stained glass windows of the Park East Synagogue as the pope, wearing white vestments and red slippers, made special gestures of affection to the members of the temple’s children’s choir, which sang several songs, including “Hevenu Shalom” (“We bring peace to you”). Arielle Firestone, 11, a choir member, said about the pope’s visit, “To meet someone that big, who you’ve heard about, well, it’s really, really amazing.”

Symbolism, Yes. Substance? Not Yet.

By Rabbi James Rudin, NY Times

I once had a home dark room to develop photographs. I enjoyed seeing blurred film images slowly come into sharp focus. Until this week’s papal visit, many Americans were in a collective dark room, with only a blurred mental image of Pope Benedict XVI. I now better understand his personal passions and commitments, and, as a result, I am compiling a papal “report card” even though Benedict’s ultimate legacy in Catholic-Jewish relations remains a work in progress.

Part of any “report card” must include a look back at his five immediate predecessors.

Pius XII (1939-1958) easily wins the award as the most controversial pope of modern times because of unanswered questions swirling around his actions or inactions throughout World War II, especially as they relate to rescuing Jews during the Holocaust. Critics charge he was passive in the face of the Nazi mass murder campaign, but Pius XII’s defenders claim the wartime pope intervened behind the scenes to save Jews. But until the Vatican permits scholars to study all relevant Church documentation from that horrific period — something that has not yet happened — Pius XII remains a divisive figure.

John XXIII (1958-1963) is admired by millions of people, especially Jews. He was elected with the expectation he would be an interim leader after the tumultuous reign of Pius XII. But John XXIII was no caretaker. Instead, he inaugurated the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) that adopted many reforms, including the historic declaration on Jews and Judaism that repudiated both the odious “Christ killer” charge and anti-Semitism. Jews remember that, as a papal nuncio (Vatican-speak for “Ambassador”) in Nazi occupied Europe, the future John XXIII issued false baptismal certificates to save lives of Jewish children.
Paul VI (1963-1978) is often overlooked because his pontificate was sandwiched between two titans: John XXIII and John Paul II. But Paul VI pressed forward with the Second Vatican Council’s positive initiatives on Jews and Judaism begun by his predecessor. In 1964, he became the first pope to visit the state of Israel, but it is an event many Jews and Catholics would like to forget. He spent only a few hours in the Jewish state, and never once uttered the word “Israel” — using instead the words “Holy Land.” Nor did Paul VI officially recognize Israeli leaders even though the nation’s President and Prime Minister publicly greeted him. Instead, the pope sent a telegram of thanks to the “Jewish authorities in Tel Aviv.”

Happily, a far different papal visit took place in 2000.

John Paul I (1978) was pontiff for only 33 days before dying of a heart attack. His untimely death created a cottage industry of conspiracy theories including charges he was poisoned by unknown forces.

John Paul II (1978-2005) is a cinch to enter Jewish history as the “best pope of all time.” But his pontificate did not start out that way. In 1978, many people were convinced the new pope had to be anti-Semitic simply because he was from Poland, a land filled with painful memories for millions of Jews. But they were wrong … very wrong. During John Paul II’s years, the Vatican and Israel established formal diplomatic relations, and he was the first pontiff to visit a synagogue. He declared that anti-Semitism is a “sin against God,” and eight years ago, he visited Israel even though in a frail condition. Unlike Paul VI, John Paul II publicly visited the Chief Rabbis, Israel’s President and Prime Minister, and the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. He capped his Israeli visit by placing a prayer in Jerusalem’s Western Wall seeking forgiveness for centuries of Christian hostility against Jews.

This week Benedict had two never-to-be-repeated opportunities to stake out his position on Catholic-Jewish relations. In each case, he came up a bit short. In Washington, he brought Passover greetings to American Jewish leaders, but delivered only a small portion of his prepared remarks. The symbolism was rich; the substance was not. In New York City he visited a Manhattan synagogue where a children’s choir greeted him. However, in that extraordinary and poignant moment, the pope again spoke very briefly and failed to mention his Church’s vigorous condemnation of anti-Semitism or the Vatican commitment for Catholics to reverently remember and teach about the Holocaust.

Of course, Benedict’s final “report card” remains to be written, but much work lies ahead for him and for those in both faith communities who seek to strengthen Catholic-Jewish relations.