Pope responds to Israeli criticism of comments on Jewish law

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Pope Francis speaks at a welcoming ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on May 25, 2014. REUTERS / Baz Ratner

Israeli rabbis have expressed “distress” over the pope’s comments.

VATICAN CITY, Sept. 6 (Reuters) – Pope Francis has decided to allay Jews’ concerns over comments he made about their sacred law books, following a request for clarification of the main rabbis of Israel, Vatican and Jewish community sources said Monday.

Last month, Reuters exclusively reported that Rabbi Rasson Arousi, chairman of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Commission for Dialogue with the Holy See, wrote a stern letter to the Vatican, saying Francis’ comments appeared to suggest that the Torah, or Jewish law, was obsolete. Read more

In a general audience on August 11, the Pope said: “The law (the Torah) does not, however, give life.

“He does not offer the fulfillment of the promise because he is not able to fulfill it … Those who seek life must turn to the promise and its fulfillment in Christ.”

The Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, contains hundreds of commandments that Jews must follow in their daily lives. The extent of adherence to the wide array of directives differs between Orthodox Jews and Reform Jews.

Arousi sent his letter on behalf of the Chief Rabbinate – the supreme rabbinical authority for Judaism in Israel – to Cardinal Kurt Koch, whose Vatican department includes a commission for religious relations with the Jews.

In the letter, Arousi asked Koch to “convey our distress to Pope Francis” and requested clarification from the Pope to “ensure that any derogatory conclusions drawn from this homily are clearly repudiated.”

RECONCILIATION

Francis then asked Koch to explain that his words about the Torah reflecting the writings of Saint Paul in the New Testament should not be taken as a judgment on Jewish law, the sources said.

Last week, Koch sent a letter to Arousi containing a quote from Pope Francis in 2015: “Christian denominations find their unity in Christ; Judaism finds its unity in the Torah. “

Jewish sources said they viewed the Vatican letter as a sign of reconciliation.

For his part, the Pope has appeared to do everything possible in his last two public appearances to try to dispel what the Vatican sees as a misunderstanding.

In a general audience on September 1, Francis declared that his words on the writings of Saint Paul were “simply catechesis (teaching homily) … and nothing else”.

During his weekly blessing on Sunday, he offered his best wishes to the Jews for the upcoming Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and the following holidays of Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

“May the new year be rich in the fruits of peace and good for those who walk faithfully in the law of the Lord,” he said.

Jewish and Vatican sources said the inclusion of the word “law” in what are normally routine greetings was meaningful and intentional.

Relations between Catholics and Jews were revolutionized in 1965, when the Second Vatican Council repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for the death of Jesus and began decades of interfaith dialogue. Francis and his two predecessors visited synagogues.

Francis had very good relations with the Jews. While still archbishop in the hometown of Buenos Aires, he co-wrote a book with one of the city’s rabbis, Abraham Skorka, and maintained a lasting friendship with him.

Reporting by Philip Pullella Editing by Gareth Jones

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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