Pope Francis on Sunday paid his first visit to a synagogue as Catholic pontiff, greeting Rome’s Jewish community in a show of interfaith friendship.
The pope joined a standing ovation of the congregation when Holocaust survivors wearing striped scarves reminiscent of their camp uniforms were singled out for attention at the start of the ceremony. Earlier, Francis paid his respects at a plaque outside the synagogue marking the spot where Roman Jews were rounded up by the Nazis in 1943, and at another marking the slaying of a two-year-old boy in an attack by Palestinians on the synagogue in 1982. He met members of the boy’s family and survivors of the attack before entering the synagogue, the seat of the oldest Jewish community in the Diaspora.
Renzo Gattegna, the president of the Italian Jewish umbrella body UCEI, welcomed the pope and said that today, "Christians and Jews are forced to defend themselves against fierce enemies, who are violent and intolerant, who are using the name of God to spread terror and are committing the most atrocious crimes against humanity.
"Salvation for all can come only through the creation of a strong coalition, based on shared ethical principles and values such as the respect for life and the quest for peace, capable of winning this challenge by walking together, side by side, with respect for diversity, but at the same time conscious of the many values, principles and hopes that unite us."
Ruth Dureghello, president of Rome’s Jewish community, said in her introductory remarks: “The hatred that comes from racism and bias, or worse, which uses God’s name or words to kill, deserves our contempt and our firm condemnation.” Referring to the Middle East conflict, she also quoted World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder, whom Pope Francis told last October that “a deliberate attack against Israel is also anti-Semitism.” Dureghello added that anti-Zionism was the most modern form of anti-Semitism, and that peace would not be won by promoting terror or with guns in hand.
In his speech, Francis condemned killing in God's name and stressed the importance of interfaith friendships.
Referring to Chrisitanity, Judaism and Islam, he said: "Violence of man against man is in contradiction to every religion worthy of its name, in particular the three monotheistic religions. Every human being, as a creature of God, is our brother regardless of his origins or religious belief."
He again rejected all forms of anti-Semitism and called for "maximum vigilance" and early intervention to prevent another Holocaust.
Francis’ visit is continuing a tradition that began with St John Paul II in 1986 and continued with Benedict XVI in 2010.
It also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the landmark shift in Christian-Jewish relations that was represented by the Second Vatican Council and its declaration 'Nostra Aetate' which transformed the Catholic Church’s relations with Jews.
