Pope Benedict XVI has condemned all forms of anti-Semitism and called for the strengthening of relations between Christians and Jews. At a meeting in Paris on Friday with French Jewish leaders, the Pope, who is on a four-day state visit to France, met the representatives of the French Jewish community. During the meeting, he quoted the words of Pope Pius XI: "Spiritually, we are Semites. The Church therefore is opposed to every form of anti-Semitism, which can never be theologically justified."
Benedict mentioned French theologian Henri de Lubac who had said that "to be anti-Semitic also signifies being anti-Christian." He emphasized that Christians and Jews shared "a relationship that should be strengthened and lived. We know that these fraternal bonds constitute a continual invitation to know and respect one another better," the pontiff of the Catholic Church said. He also noted that the meeting took place just before Shabbat, "a day which from time immemorial has occupied a significant position in the religious and cultural life of the people of Israel." The Pope thanked the Jewish community for its contribution to French society's spiritual, political, cultural and artistic patrimony.
Richard Prasquier, head of the French Jewish umbrella group CRIF, said the Pope's remarks were clearly in line with the reconciliation work started by Pope John Paul II. In his address, Prasquier called the meetings between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people an example for humanity. He also evoked the memory of the Holocaust. France is home of 600,000 Jews, the largest Jewish population in Europe. Prasquier's predecessor as CRIF president, Roger Cukierman, who also serves as vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, also took part in the meeting at the Vatican's embassy.
